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
Egypt replicates High Dam experience in Tanzania The Egyptian state has begun digging the largest dam in Tanzania to generate hydroelectric power. Egypt
Netanyahu, MBS concur on Iran, but normalization no closer In their briefly secret meeting in Neom, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman agreed on the common threat from Iran, but did not make progress toward normalization. Saudi Arabia
China looks to boost its GCC interests with 'vaccine diplomacy' Eager to lift the lockdowns and limit the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on their economies, several Gulf Cooperation Council states are participating in trials of a vaccine produced in China, which seems to focus on countries that hold strategic interest for Beijing or are part of its Belt and Road Initiative. Legacy: Gulf
Egyptian rights group's director held in solitary confinement, lawyers say Gasser Abdel-Razek and two of his colleagues were arrested in what experts say is a renewed crackdown on human rights defenders. Egypt
Israel's El Al to begin daily flights to Dubai The news follows Israel's flagship airline signing a cooperation agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. Israel
Saudi Arabia denies secret meeting with Israeli officials during Pompeo visit Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan, said no meeting between Saudi Arabia and Israeli officials took place. Israel
German mission searches Libya-bound Turkish ship, sparking backlash from Ankara German forces intercepted a Libya-bound Turkish ship suspected of carrying arms, sparking the latest row between an EU member state and Ankara ahead of a key summit assessing bilateral ties next month. Turkey
Pompeo visits Saudi crown prince to discuss Iran The US Secretary of State also talked about the war in Yemen with the Saudi crown prince, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with them. Originals
Archive Upfront from Nov 23, 2020 Biden’s new secretary of state ready to take on the Middle East Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's choice to lead the State Department, has worked alongside Biden for nearly two decades. United States
Israel ventures into space for second time The Ramon Foundation participates in preparing the mission of Israel’s second-ever astronaut Eytan Stibbe — a first nonprofit organization to be partnered with such a mission. Originals
Al-Qaeda appoints new North Africa chief after France kills leader Abu Obaida Yusuf al-Annabi succeeds Abdelmakel Droukdel, a founder of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who was killed in June. Algeria
Gantz slams Netanyahu over leak of alleged secret meeting with Saudi crown prince Saudi and Israeli sources have confirmed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew yesterday to Saudi Arabia and met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, leaked news that Defense Minister Benny Gantz called irresponsible. Saudi Arabia
