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
New Italian government brings uncertainty for Libya After the March 4 elections in Italy, a new government could be formed with new policies on migration and Libya. Libya
The dueling states of Palestine Hamas-organized protests on Land Day and Nakba Day in Gaza appear planned to lead to bloodshed, while in the West Bank, the PLO is planning on recognizing a Palestinian state. Palestine
Eastern Mediterranean starting to resemble disputed South China Sea Military activities in the eastern Mediterranean have escalated considerably in 2018, as have tensions. Israel
The topsy-turvy world of Jewish-Arab relations Despite evidence of a serious deterioration in relations between Jews and Arabs in Israel, one researcher contends that Israeli Arabs continue to show a strong link to a Jewish and democratic Israel. Palestine
Tunisian women fighting for equal inheritance rights Increasing numbers of women are organizing to pressure the government into legislating equal inheritance rights to replace the current law, which is based on the Quran. Tunisia
Are Egypt’s clerics key to solving water crisis? Mosques and churches in Egypt are raising awareness of the rationalization of water use, but Egyptians are divided over their involvement. Egypt
Young Cairo painters take their work underground Young Egyptian artists are bringing color to Cairo’s metro stations, starting with magnificent murals for the Opera House stop. Egypt
Casualties continue to mount in Syria's eastern Ghouta The situation in the besieged eastern Ghouta area continues to deteriorate with shortages of medical supplies, the regime shelling on medical facilities and use of low concentration doses of chlorine. Syria
Senate fissure opens up over ending Yemen war Traditional centrists are pushing back against bipartisan efforts to stop US support for the Saudi coalition. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan menaces Afrin as YPG digs in As Turkish troops head for Afrin, will Turkey commit to the next-level battle it will face there if the People's Protection Units stay and fight? Syria
One ‘spark’ could reignite protests, warns Iran’s interior minister Iran’s interior minister discussed the findings of a report dissecting the reasons for the Iranian protests in December and January. Iran
Iranian mistrust of Russia surges as Syrian war winds down The Iranian media increasingly reflects fears and mistrust of Russian intentions in Syria. Syria
