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
AKP Report on Uludere Airstrike Condemned as 'Whitewash' Amberin Zaman writes that the December 2011 killing of Kurdish smugglers from Uludere by Turkish warplanes remains a test for the Turkish government. Turkey
Could Sistani Be Iraq’s Last Hope? Many in Iraq are looking to the country’s highest Shiite authority, Ali al-Sistani, as a last resort for a solution to the ongoing and dire political crisis there, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Sunni Tribes in Anbar, Kirkuk Prepare for Battle In the wake of the Hawija incidents where Sunni protesters were killed and injured by military forces, tribes and towns throughout the provinces of Anbar and Kirkuk are arming themselves, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
KRG Prime MinisterBreaks Ice in Baghdad Iraqi Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani’s Baghdad visit seemed to offer glimmers of hope for resolving tensions between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Hezbollah Leader Defends Involvement in Syria Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah is basing his involvement in the Syrian war on grounds that are both religious and having to do with the conflict with Israel, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
The Two Faces of Qatar Shlomi Eldar considers Qatar's promoting peace based on compromises between Israel and the Palestinians while promoting a sectarian Islamic agenda by supporting armed groups in Syria. Qatar
Turkey Faces 'Lose-Lose' Situation Over Syria Without a change in its Syria policy, it will be impossible for the Erdogan government to pull out a win, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Iraqi Workers Lack Laws To Protect Their Rights In an economy lacking in diversity, many Iraqis seek refuge in government employment, placing an enormous burden on a government struggling to provide legislation that will protect their rights, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Tunisia, Algeria Join Forces To Combat Growing Terror Threat A growing terrorist threat is forcing Tunisia and Algeria to cooperate in their anti-terror efforts, reports Kaci Racelma. Originals
Cairo's Art Festivals Engulfed in Politics Cutting-edge art festivals in Cairo blend art and politics, Sarah el-Sirgany reports from Cairo. Egypt
Netanyahu Will Ignore Arab League's Land-Swap Proposal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ideology will prevent him from accepting the pragmatic Arab League peace proposal, writes Akiva Eldar. Palestine
Alleged Beating by PA Interrogators Costs Palestinian Man His Speech Reports of beatings and torture by PA security forces are common, but there is no follow up or accountability, reports Linah Alsaafin. Palestine
