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
US Navigates Egypt’s Turmoil With Eye on Military Role US influence is at the margins of yet another turn of events. Egypt
Egyptians Form Human Shields To Protect Female Protesters Protesters form groups to protect Egyptian women at demonstrations; 91 cases of sexual assault reported at Tahrir Square Egypt
Israeli Social Justice Movement Enters Local Politics Women, young people and leaders of the social protest movement are expected to increase their power in the Israeli municipal elections in October. Israel
Hamas Lies Low on Egypt Crisis Hamas has instructed its leadership to maintain a low profile on Egypt's unrest to avoid being dragged into the crisis. Palestine
Shiite Leaders in Iraq, Iran React to Egypt Killings The killing of Egyptian Shiite preacher Hassan Shehata has led many Shiite leaders in Iraq and Iran to call for adherents to tone down sectarian rhetoric. Egypt
Rise of Local Salafist Jihadists Worries Jordan's Government For decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has been the Jordanian government's main political rival. But a new player has emerged to fret the Hashemite regime: homegrown Salafist jihadists. Jordan
Untimely Test for Saudi Regime Clashes in Saudi Arabia between Shiite youths and the authorities expose the vulnerability of the kingdom, amid explosive unrest in the region. Saudi Arabia
My Turn as Witness to Gezi Protests Before US Congress A US congressional hearing on Turkey revealed some of Washington’s questions and concerns about the “Turkish model.” Turkey
Shameful Examples Emerge Of Press Censorship in Turkey A Turkish newspaper’s censorship of its own ombudsman rings alarm bells over the issue of press freedom in Turkey. Turkey
UAE Trial Adds to Controversy Over Press Freedom, Political Islam Guilty verdicts in the trial of 94 people accused of plotting to overthrow the UAE government have raised new questions about both press freedom and the role of political Islam. United Arab Emirates
What Happened to Fadel Shaker? In a case rarely seen in Lebanese society, Fadel Shaker, one of the country’s most beloved pop stars, chose to embrace extreme piety and soon became wingman to Salafist sheikh Ahmad al-Assir. Lebanon
Unrest in Egypt Casts Pall On Israel-Palestine Negotiations Israelis and Palestinians had best wait out the wave of protests in Egypt until the new regional setup emerges before engaging in negotiations. Palestine
