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
What are Israel’s Liberman, Fatah’s Dahlan plotting? For former Fatah senior member Mohammed Dahlan, a combination of Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s land-swap plan with the integrity of the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative could open up negotiations for an Israeli-Palestinian arrangement. Palestine
Tillerson defends White House proposal to cut State budget Secretary of State Rex Tillerson defended the White House’s proposal to slash the State Department budget by almost 30%, a move that could have serious repercussions on Middle East diplomacy. Near East
Would open primaries save Israel's left-wing parties? Senior figures within Israel's left-wing Meretz Party are debating whether open primaries are the best method to save the party from disappearing. Israel
Palestinians fear US will block financial assistance US President Donald Trump’s representative for international negotiations, Jason Greenblatt, asked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to stop paying allocations to families of Palestinian assailants who attacked Israelis. Palestine
Tillerson to woo Turkey during Ankara visit US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is set to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a visit to Ankara later this month, as tensions between their two countries persist over US support for Kurdish-dominated groups in Syria. Syria
Calculated tension: Turkey talks big to Europe but holds back from economic steps Turkey’s flare-up with the Netherlands and Germany appears to be a policy of calculated tensions, aimed at maximum political gains with minimum damage ahead of a critical referendum in April. Turkey
At sit-in, Gaza widows demand unpaid benefits Palestinian widows of men killed in the 2014 Israeli war on the Gaza Strip have told the government they will escalate their protests if they do not receive their monthly benefits. Palestine
Indictment reveals Turkey coup timeline, but mysteries remain A mountainous indictment in Turkey's coup attempt case leaves a lot to the imagination despite its heft. Turkey
Iraqi minorities move forward with autonomy plan Representatives of the Turkmen, Yazidi and Assyrian minority communities of Iraq have declared a coalition and put forward the most complete vision yet for self-rule in the country’s north. Iraq
In Syria, Iran sees necessary war New accounts detailing Iran’s decision to intervene in the Syrian war shed light on an important and previously unknown chapter of the conflict. Lebanon
Has Israel’s finance minister abandoned the lower classes? Instead of focusing on poor people, Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has decided to advance tax cuts that will only benefit the rich and deprive the state of revenue. Israel
Why Egyptians lost interest in Mubarak's case Egyptians are speculating about the possible return of ousted President Hosni Mubarak following his acquittal, and are wondering how the current regime will deal with the situation. Egypt
