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
EU deeply divided over Western Sahara policy A European Court of Justice decision excluding Western Saharan exports from receiving preferential tariffs granted to Morocco has highlighted the need for the European Union to address the issue of who represents the people of Western Sahara. Morocco
Gloom surrounds Rouhani’s budget for new Iranian year Despite the relative stabilization of the Iranian economy, the Rouhani administration has no choice but to seriously address the issues in the budgeting process if it wishes to realize its goals for economic growth. Iran
How Netanyahu ditched his 'panicker' image Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and other members of Benjamin Netanyahu's current government have been surprised to find that the prime minister is not so easily pressured as in the past. Israel
Is Palestinian frustration playing into Netanyahu's strategy? With Palestinian frustration increasing over the hardships of the Israeli occupation, Israeli security experts keep warning of a violent breakout, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps ignoring the warnings. Palestine
Women dare to dance in Gaza Female dance troupes that perform at weddings are increasingly popular in Gaza as women try to earn income for themselves and their families. Palestine
65 years later, fight to get female judges on Egypt's State Council continues For decades, Egyptian women have been banned from serving as judges on the country's State Council, but a recent parliamentary initiative gives them a glimmer of hope. Egypt
Congress races to craft Iran sanctions bills ahead of AIPAC conference Lawmakers hope to have bipartisan legislation ready when thousands of pro-Israel advocates descend on Capitol Hill next week. United States
Is Assad shifting strategy on Israel? Contrary to Israel’s typical low profile on operations in Syrian skies, Israel’s Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman warned that if Damascus fires any more missiles against IDF jets, Israel will destroy its air defense system. Israel
The coming Iran-US confrontation in Iraq With the operation to seize Mosul from the Islamic State coming to an end, it appears that Iran and the United States are on the path to a showdown in Iraq. Iraq
Iran’s supreme leader calls for 'economy of resistance' in Nowruz message As is custom, Iran’s supreme leader and president have issued video messages on the occasion of the Iranian New Year, expressing a need for further focus on economic matters. Iran
Flynn affair exposes Turkey's 'sloppy' PR efforts Though the pro-government Turkish media continues to studiously ignore the affair, the US media is busy probing former national security adviser Michael Flynn's ties to a Turkish businessman who hired him to lobby for Ankara. Turkey
Who really benefits from Turkey-Russia joint fund? A Turkish construction company, which runs major operations in Russia and was the builder of Erdogan’s controversial palace, figures prominently in a deal to create a joint investment fund between the two countries. Turkey
