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
Will Turkey oust Kurdish deputies from parliament? The events surrounding the Feb. 17 bombing in Ankara have sparked a furor against Kurdish members of Turkey’s parliament as many political forces threaten to shut them out of the political scene. Turkey
Should Turkey's military, civilian contractors be treated differently? Civilian personnel working for the Turkish military hope to achieve equal footing with their military counterparts as a nationwide conversation unfolds in the wake of the Ankara bombing. Turkey
Abadi outgunned in fight to disarm tribes The Iraqi state faces serious obstacles in its efforts to confiscate weapons from the heavily armed populace, which is much more concerned with tribal ties and customs than the rule of law. Iraq
Israeli opposition's new power couple The emergency conference on diplomacy organized by former Ministers Avigdor Liberman and Yair Lapid presents them as political allies of the opposition parties. Israel
Should Israel celebrate the Iranian elections results? Following Iranian elections, Israeli security experts are divided between those optimistic about changes in the country and those who fear its growing regional hegemony. Israel
Assad miffs opposition, Russians with call for elections After announcement of a cease-fire agreement Feb. 22, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad decreed that legislative elections be held April 13 in contravention of the agreement. Syria
What is stopping the liberation of Mosul? The liberation of Mosul from the Islamic State will be a complicated task for the Iraqi forces, as several players will be involved in the operation. Iraq
If Syria cease-fire fails, what is Plan B? The United States said it was encouraged that the Syrian cessation of hostilities appeared to be holding, with no significant violations reported in the past day, as analysts said Russia was backing the truce because it feared a quagmire and talk of a US "Plan B." Syria
After elections, is Rouhani’s economy minister now safe? All three members of parliament who summoned the finance and economy minister failed to make it into Iran's next parliament. Iran
Blasphemy trials on the rise in Egypt Despite calls for reform, lawsuits that infringe on freedom of expression are still being pursued under the concept of "hisbah," an Islamic doctrine involving the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice. Egypt
TIMELINE: Key players reflect on US policy in Syria In this interactive timeline, US lawmakers and former administration officials open up about their failure to prevent disaster in Syria. Syria
Green activists, and their livestock, send Turkish miners packing Turkish fauna comes to the aid of flora as thousands of protesters — and their livestock — send a mining company packing, at least for now. Turkey
