The Takeaway: Would Hamas complicate US plans for reset with Palestinians? Also: the back story on the spat between Israel and Jordan; Gulf post-COVID economic trends; Turkey’s Kurds; Egypt and Somalia; and more! Originals
Egypt sentences activist Sanaa Seif to 18 months in prison Seif, who had been in pretrial detention since June, was convicted Wednesday of spreading false news and misusing social media. Egypt
Ukraine rejects Iran's final report on downed passenger plane The Iranian government said last year's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 was the result of a human error. Iran
Palestinians receive first batch of vaccines through COVAX More than 60,000 doses of the AstraZeneca and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines arrived in Ramallah on Wednesday. Palestine
Will international forces enter Gaza Strip? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s suggestion to deploy international forces in the Gaza Strip as a security solution has been met with stiff opposition from Palestinians. Palestine
Will Syrian students be banned from Egypt's universities? A parliamentary proposal to ban students from Syria and other countries from enrolling in Egyptian public universities has sparked debate. Egypt
Restaurant serving up Egyptian fare is buzzing in Gaza Despite hard economic times in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian national Osama Hassan's koshari restaurant is attracting customers. Palestine
Defense spending bill bans funding for MANPADS in Syria Congress released legislation on Thursday that would hamstring the Trump administration's ability to deliver shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to vetted rebels. Syria
How Egypt plans to forge closer economic ties with France On a visit to Paris, Egypt's minister of trade and industry sought to attract French investments to his country. Egypt
Syrian Kurds cede buffer as Turkish-backed FSA advances on Manbij After President Recep Tayyip Erdogan named Turkey's next target as Manbij and the foreign minister promised to strike if the Kurdish People’s Protection Units don't withdraw, Turkish-backed fighters in Syria seem to be acting on the threats in a cluster of villages west of Manbij. Syria
Turkish fashionistas commercialize July 15 coup attempt People who rallied against a military coup attempt on July 15 are distraught by the increased commercialization of their gallantry. Turkey
Will Erdogan postpone upcoming referendum? The postponement of the constitutional referendum planned for April 16 would not be a surprising outcome. Turkey
What EU’s Mogherini, Tillerson agreed on European Union leaders are exploring new policies on the Middle East, including the idea of convening a Madrid II conference. Palestine
Rouhani says Iran opposed to incursions into Syria, Iraq Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met to cool tensions after a recent war of words. Turkey
Abbas harnesses Palestinian's win on 'Arab Idol' Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is using Palestinian Yacoub Shaheen's win on "Arab Idol" as an opportunity to alter Palestinians' image in the world. Palestine
Can senior Hamas figure resolve Gaza's electricity crisis? Palestinians and Israelis are both pinning their hopes on the new Gaza Energy Authority chief, Ghazi Hamad, to resolve the escalating electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
