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
Israel’s Labor Party Splits Again Knesset member Eitan Cabel says Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich must go. Israel
Erdogan Looks West Given Ankara’s misadventures in the Middle East, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s best option to fulfill his vision of a democratic Turkey is to pivot to the West. Turkey
Mayor of Upper Nazareth on Mission To Rid City of Arabs Embattled Upper Nazareth Mayor Shimon Gapso is running his campaign for reelection on expelling the city's Arab residents. Israel
Is Normalization Possible Before Israel Ends the Occupation? The resumption of peace talks has again raised the question of whether a people-to-people track should be pursued to boost the chances of peace. Palestine
Egypt, Sisi Straddle Past, Present and Future The legacy of former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser hangs over the fate of Egypt and Defense Minister Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt
Burden on Brotherhood To End Egypt’s Crisis For the Muslim Brotherhood to be brought into the political process, it must first accept the basic principles of Egyptian nationhood, sovereignty and identity. Egypt
Control, Halt, Delete: Gulf States Crack Down on Online Critics The Gulf states’ heavy-handed response to online criticism was entirely predictable and shows no signs of abating. Legacy: Gulf
Controversial Turkish Surgeon Odd Man Out in Ergenekon Trial A famous surgeon’s unexpected release in the Ergenekon trial deepens Turkey’s political fault lines. Turkey
Erdogan Prepares to Face Post-Ramadan Challenges Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will be walking on eggshells after Ramadan to balance the popular reaction to the Ergenekon verdicts and Kurdish demands to advance the negotiation process. Turkey
Lebanon-Israel Border Incident Tests UNIFIL-Hezbollah Ties Following the Israeli military’s violation of the UN Blue Line this week, the reactions of both UNIFIL and Hezbollah may provide a litmus test for their relationship. Israel
Israelis Divided on African Immigrants The African immigrant community sparks bitter disputes within Israeli society between those who sympathize with their hardships and those who advocate their deportation. Israel
Gaza Celebrates Eid al-Fitr Amid Economic Crisis Gazans still find a way to celebrate the Islamic festival despite the economic hardship caused by the Israeli and Egyptian blockade. Palestine
