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
Is Israel Considering Participation By Russia in UNDOF? If true, it raises many questions about the shifting regional balance of forces. Lebanon
Erdogan, Embattled at Home, Popular With Syrian Refugees Erdogan's Syrian policy is fuelling anti-government feelings, but among Syria's refugees he remains a hero. Syria
Netanyahu as the Prophet Jeremiah Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu radiates pessimism concerning Israel's strategic landscape, when he is concerned about his own standing within his party and his coalition. Israel
Former Turkish Minister Of Culture’s Brave Tweet While the Gezi Park protests will likely come to an end soon, Ertugrul Gunay, former minister of culture, shared some brave tweets today targeting the prime minister directly. Turkey
Israel Says It Can 'Manage' Chaos in Syria Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon predicts fighting in Syria will go on for a long time, but suggests that may not be a problem for Israel. Israel
Israeli Foreign Ministry Pushed To Sidelines on Policymaking Ronen Hoffman, chairman of the Knesset's Foreign and Defense Affairs Subcommittee on Public Diplomacy, discusses Israeli foreign policy with Al-Monitor. Israel
Turkey–EU Relations May Be A Casualty of Gezi Park Erdogan’s mismanagement of Gezi Park crisis has spilled-over into Turkey’s relations with the European Union. Turkey
UNIFIL’s Uncertain Future UN forces in Lebanon face challenges that could undermine the force’s credibility and status. Originals
Gaza's Gypsies Face Daily Racism Gaza's Dom community is looked down upon and discrimated against by the broader population. Palestine
Iraq Closes Anbar Crossing As Sunni Protests Continue The authorities in Baghdad have closed Iraq's border crossing linking Anbar province to Jordan, a move some see as punishment for the region's continual protests against the government. Iraq
Qatar, Middle East 'Market Maker' Qatar is modeling its foreign policy on a dream to become the Belgium of a Muslim Brotherhood league of states. Qatar
US Needs to Link Peace Process, Syria For Washington to successfully form a Western-Arab coalition against Syria, it must increase pressure on Israel to avoid accusations of having double standards. Palestine
