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
The Middle East’s New Divide: Muslim Versus Muslim The Muslim world is in the throes of a messy period of political modernization, which means the issue of the role of religion in the state is being debated, and fought, in the public square. Egypt
Sex Scandal Leads To Star Israeli Rabbi's Fall The conviction of Rabbi Motti Elon for sex offenses has generated a profound crisis of confidence from which the nationalist-religious community will find it hard to recover. Israel
Iraqi Women Face Workplace Discrimination In light of conservative social traditions and an unfavorable legal system, Iraqi women struggle to find work. Iraq
Israeli Doctors Fight to Save Palestinian Child in Hebron The Israeli medical staff of Tel Hashomer Hospital is fighting for the life of a 6-month-old Palestinian infant abandoned by her parents. Palestine
Brotherhood’s Scorched-Earth Strategy Provokes More Bloodshed The conflict in Egypt is not about who rules, it's about “what to rule” — the state of Egypt or the Brotherhood’s Islamic state? Egypt
Egypt Deaths Call for Action The resignation of Egypt’s Vice President Mohamed ElBaradei is a clear indictment of the military's actions. Egypt
Turkish CHP Leader Says Party Under Surveillance Leader of Turkey's opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Kemal Kilicdaroglu says state institutions are gathering unlawful information. Turkey
Saudi Arabia and The Illusory Counterrevolution Washington and Riyadh no longer share the same assessment of the threat and the need for reform in the region. Saudi Arabia
Iraqi Youth Seek New Direction For Failed Politics Disaffected Iraqi youth are increasingly doubtful of the country’s potential for democracy. Iraq
Syria’s Economic Crisis Magnifies Human Tragedy Often eclipsed by the Syrian conflict’s exorbitant human cost, the embattled country’s economy has plummeted over the past three years under stringent international sanctions. Lebanon
Israeli Ultra Orthodox Parties Split From Settlers Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties are forming their own distinct political bloc. Israel
Will US 'Strategic Imperative' Guide Israeli-Palestinian Talks? While the Egypt crisis deepens, the Obama administration continues to give priority to an Israel-Palestinian agreement. Palestine
