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
Could Jordan-Palestine confederation be in the cards? Palestinian and Jordanian officials are contemplating the idea of a Jordan-Palestine confederation, to be created after the establishment of a Palestinian state and with Israeli involvement. Palestine
Netanyahu bitter over justice minister appointee Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s shrinking coalition forces him to appoint his old nemesis, Knesset member Ayelet Shaked, to the post of justice minister. Israel
Hamas cracks down on Salafists in Gaza Strip A recent series of arrests shows that despite mediation efforts trying to quell the conflict, animosity between Hamas and Salafists seems to be growing. Palestine
Egypt’s Tamarod outlives its purpose The legitimacy and relevance of Egypt’s Tamarod movement are being called into question now that the movement seems to have achieved its goals, mainly the overthrow of former President Mohammed Morsi. Egypt
New marketplace brings Egyptian manufacturing online Tajerinn, a new website, may help local manufacturers in Egypt by connecting buyers and sellers of raw materials and developing an efficient local marketing strategy. Egypt
Gaza's youth protesters remain divided Young people in the Gaza Strip have long struggled to coalesce around one central demand in their protests against the dire living conditions since Hamas took over. Palestine
Iran review bill approval sets up partisan battle Senate passage of congressional review legislation presages a bitter vote over Iran negotiations in the event of a final deal. Iran
GCC won’t get written defense guarantees at Camp David Former Pentagon official says formal defense treaty with GCC is “not in the cards” at next week’s summit. Legacy: Gulf
Oman breaks from GCC on Yemen conflict Oman sees Saudi Arabia's strategy in Yemen as misguided and dangerous for the Gulf region. Legacy: Gulf
Is Iran really to blame for Yemen conflict? Yemen's conflict is homegrown and the only way to stabilize the country's descent into civil war is through a political deal. Saudi Arabia
Classical singer claims performance ban in Iran Iran’s most famous classical singer says he was banned from performing in Iran over his criticism of the 2009 protest crackdown. Iran
Doner kebab: late-night snack becomes haute cuisine More commonly encountered at a corner stand after a night out, doner kebab is now served with new condiments at fine-dining restaurants in Turkey. Turkey
