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
Hamas’ Relationship with Qatar Widens Rift With West Bank Since Qatar has taken the initiative to play a greater regional role, especially regarding the Palestinian cause, many in the West Bank feel it seeks to undermine Fatah’s leadership, writes Hazem Balousha. Qatar
Israel and Muslim Brotherhood Face the Same Enemy As Israel prepares to celebrate its 65th Independence Day free of conventional threats, Iran's nuclear threat still looms, writes Alon Ben David. Egypt
Iraqi Speaker: Maliki Could Resort To Military Force Against Opponents Iraqi Parliament Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi criticizes Baghdad’s support for Syrian President Assad's regime, and notes that Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki could resort to using military force against demonstrators. Iraq
Meshaal May Face Resistance In His Move Toward Openness Khaled Meshaal has been re-elected as Hamas’ leader, but as he tries to move toward more openness, he may face resistance from hard-liners inside the movement, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
Jabhat al-Nusra Declares Allegiance to Al-Qaeda The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has made a speech declaring the integration of Syrian rebel group Jabhat al-Nusra and his own organization, Mushreq Abbas reports. Iraq
Sinai Opium Growers Repent, Turn to Medicinal Herbs Sinai herbalist Ahmed Saleh, a 38-year-old Bedouin tribesman, tells Mohannad Sabry how he persuaded local opium growers to switch their crop to herbal gardening. Egypt
To Understand Israel, Understand the Holocaust The scars of the Holocaust are ingrained in the Israeli experience, and in Israel's relations with — and fears of — its neighbors, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
Hamas Friction Continues With UN Relief Agency The United Nations Relief and Works Agency in Gaza faces increasing difficulty in carrying out its work, as the Hamas-led government claims some of its activities are not in line with the Strip’s Islamic culture and values, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Can Yachimovich Keep Her Job As Israel's Labor Party Leader? Sources within the Labor party told Mazal Mualem that an initiative is being kicked around to hold "lightning primaries," to bring an “end to the Yachimovich dictatorship era.” Israel
Erbil-Baghdad Relations Still Lack Substance Despite ongoing negotiations and talks between Iraq’s central government in Baghdad and the country’s Kurdistan region, reconciliation efforts still lack the substance necessary to bring about effective solutions, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Promises of Reliable Electricity Offer Little Reassurance in Iraq The Iraqi government has pledged to provide the country with 24-hour electricity, heralding the end of years of energy blackouts, but doubts remain over the government’s ability to deliver on their promises, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Syria Civil War Causes Return Of Saudi Influence to Lebanon Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war, there has been a resurgence in Saudi Arabian influence in Lebanon, as the desert kingdom attempts to fill the vacuum left by Syria, Nasser Chararah writes. Saudi Arabia
