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
The 'Nice Guy' ImageOf Israel's Finance Minister Israeli Finance Minister Yair Lapid faces the impossible task of maintaining his popularity while implementing budget cuts, writes Nadav Perry. Israel
Is Israel Heading Toward Apartheid? Akiva Eldar contends that Israel's discrimination against the Palestinians contradicts the intentions of its forefathers. Palestine
Hamas Intensifies Gaza 'Islamization' Hamas has been clamping down on young men wearing waist-down jeans and hair gel, the latest move in the ruling organization’s insidious campaign to “Islamize” Palestinian society in Gaza, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Maliki Faces Tough Political Choices Ahead of Election Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki faces tough political choices ahead, because he must reconcile with some of his Sunni and Kurdish opponents to win another term, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
The Reasons Behind Hezbollah’s Decision to Fight in Syria Despite the natural alliance between Shiites in Lebanon and the Syrian regime, some Lebanese are reconsidering the merits of sending their young men to die in Syria, writes an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut. Lebanon
What Do Peace Envoys Actually Do in the Middle East? For many years, the world’s powers have been sending envoys to the Middle East to secure peace deals. Given their lack of success, however, Omar Shaban asks what their point is. Palestine
Kerry's Visit Leaves Israelis Indifferent Mazal Mualem wonders why the optimism left by President Barack Obama turned into indifference toward his secretary of state. Israel
Is Hezbollah ExaggeratingJabhat al-Nusra’s Strength? According to a Lebanese politician once close to Hezbollah, the organization is exaggerating Jabhat al-Nusra’s size to scare Lebanese Shiites into continuing to support the party, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Golan's Druze DividedOn the Syrian Struggle Shlomi Eldar reports from the Golan Heights that Druze there are just as divided about events in Syria as residents of the country. Israel
Upcoming Iraqi Kurdistan Elections Stir Up Controversy The presidential elections in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, scheduled for later this year, have hit a snag, with several parties unable to agree on important issues, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
What Really Happened Between Netanyahu and Obama From confidential, well-placed sources, Ben Caspit discloses the arguments in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chambers hidden behind friendly gestures in public during the US president’s visit. Palestine
Israel Welcomes Barbra Streisand Israelis love President Shimon Peres and Barbra Streisand as “the sane and lovely faces of the Jewish people,” writes Michal Aharoni. Israel
