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
Encroaching Syrian Conflict Pits Hezbollah Against Jabhat al-Nusra Border villages of Hezbollah-backed Shiites sympathetic to Assad are clashing with the Sunni Jabhat al-Nusra, reports an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut. Lebanon
'Church of Nativity' Exiles Still Waiting to Return Israel has continued to block the return of Palestinians who were forcibly removed from Bethlehem 11 years ago to end the siege of the Church of the Nativity, writes Khaled Kraizim. Palestine
Gaza Schoolchildren Receive Military Training From Hamas The Hamas government in Gaza has begun a program to provide military training for boys, and soon for girls, to prepare them for any future confrontation with Israel, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
The Palestinian Time Warp Geoffrey Aronson writes that "new" US plans for resuscitating Palestinian economic growth sound a lot like old ones that failed to foster independence. Palestine
Former IDF Spokesman: Israel Needs Its Own 'Al Jazeera' TV Former IDF spokesperson and Knesset member Nachman Shai explains, in an interview with Mazal Mualem, why Israel fails again and again in the media-diplomacy battlefield. Israel
Qatar’s Political Influence on Hamas With its headquarters in Qatar, Hamas will have to accept the spirit and direction of its new patron, Emir Hamed Bin Khalifa Al Thani, writes Shlomi Eldar. Qatar
What Are Saudi Arabia’sIntentions in Lebanon? Saudi Arabia has increased its diplomatic efforts in Lebanon, and Jean Aziz asks what exactly Riyadh’s intentions are. Saudi Arabia
Fayyad Resignation: No Effect On Palestinian Reconciliation The resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad is unlikely to contribute to Hamas-Fatah reconciliation and the formation of a national unity government, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Iraq Pays $300 Million To Terror Victims Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, violence in Iraq has produced innumerable victims in need of financial compensation, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Iraqi Provincial Elections Bring Wave of Violence, Assassination Sunni candidates in the upcoming Iraqi elections are being targeted in a recent spate of assassinations, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Has 'Fatahland' Returned To Lebanon's Shebaa Farms? The concept of "Fatahland" has been revived as a response to the Syrian conflict in Lebanese villages on the border areas with Syria, writes Nasser Chararah. Lebanon
EU Official: ‘We Don’t See the End’ Of Syria Crisis In an interview with Al-Monitor, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Dr. Kristalina Georgieva says Syria "is the crisis that makes me lose my sleep." Syria
