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
Iraqi government presses ahead with early elections next year The Iraqi government is striving to make the legal and political preparations for elections in June 2021, amid multiple political and security challenges. Iraq
Turkey chooses pro-Erdogan ambassador to Israel in bid to normalize ties There has been no ambassador in either country since May 2018, when Ankara withdrew its envoy over escalating attacks on Palestinians in Gaza and Washington's decision to relocate its embassy to Jerusalem. Israel
Netanyahu’s main rival in Likud quits party, views premiership Former minister Gideon Saar takes a huge political risk by announcing he is quitting the Likud and forming a new right-wing movement. Israel
Egyptian dancers call for protecting belly dance Several belly dancers in Egypt are leading a campaign to preserve their traditional dance from whom they describe as intruders that have sexualized the dance performance. Egypt
Transgender Egyptians face abuse, discrimination for asserting their identity Farida Ramadan is struggling to earn a living and lead a normal life, which speaks volumes of the challenges facing transgender Egyptians. Originals
For Palestine’s negotiations strategy to work, Gulf must be united Reports about an end of the nearly four-year Gulf crisis pitting a Saudi-led bloc of nations against Qatar is a good omen for the Palestinians, who are seeking to restart the stalled Israeli-Palestinian negotiation process. Palestine
Behind the scenes of Egypt’s project to face-lift Khedivial Cairo The Egyptian state has started unifying the facades of buildings and shops in the downtown area of Khedivial Cairo. Egypt
Egypt mobilizes Gulf, Arab support to end Syrian crisis Egypt appears to be leading Arab efforts to bring Damascus back to the Arab League and find a political solution to the Syrian crisis, in a bid to confront Turkey’s military ambitions in Syria. Egypt
Saudi court hands Saudi-American doctor Walid al-Fitaihi 6-year sentence The Harvard-trained doctor is reported to have been sentenced over tweeting his support for the 2011 Arab Spring protests and for obtaining US citizenship. Saudi Arabia
Egyptian forces kill, arrest Islamist fighters in Sinai There have been several escalations between Egyptian forces and Islamist groups on the peninsula recently. Egypt
Israel ‘very comfortable’ with $23B UAE arms sale, says ambassador Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said the sale won't undermine Israel's military advantage in the Middle East. Israel
Mizrahi Israelis hope normalization with Gulf will bring regional peace For Israelis of Mizrahi origin, normalization with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain has great significance; it reconnects them to the Arab world, with its history and heritage. Israel
