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
Kerry sells foreign aid budget A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Feb. 22. Iraq
Why did the US really bomb Libya? Does the strike on a neighboring terrorist haven signal a new commitment to the Arab Spring’s golden child Tunisia? Libya
Are Egypt's new water discoveries just a distraction? Egypt keeps stacking its stories up higher as its water woes deepen. Egypt
Can Ankara's plans keep up with Syria's escalation? The course of events in Syria offer opportunities but also new threats to Ankara, which still has to deal with structural flaws in its Syrian policy. Saudi Arabia
Among Iranian Reformists, hope goes hand in hand with pragmatism How do Iranian Reformists see the future of their country — including the prospect of change — in the aftermath of the nuclear deal? Iran
How Iran's supreme leader prepares for election day The website for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei published a number of fatwas about the elections. Iran
Hamas and Iran: New era, new rules After a cooling of ties following the outbreak of the Arab Spring, Hamas appears to be moving to restore its relations with Iran. Palestine
Is Turkey crushing Kurdish self-rule in Syria? Turkey seems intent on using the Feb. 17 bombing in Ankara as a pretext to crush the fledgling Kurdish self-rule in northern Syria that serves as an inspiration to its own Kurds. Syria
Why is Israel raiding Palestinian universities? As the Israeli army continues to raid Palestinian universities, the schools hope to reveal Israel's aggression to the world. Palestine
Was last week's Ankara attack just the beginning? The suicide bomb in Ankara on Feb. 17 was the first of its kind, and Ankara is now under pressure to make critical decisions. Turkey
Will Israel get its first casino? The plan promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to build casinos in Eilat prompt a rare Knesset alliance between right and left, religious and secular. Israel
How Damascus Gate became the symbol of the intifada Confrontations between Palestinians and Israelis at Damascus Gate have heightened the symbolic importance of the largest gate of Jerusalem's Old City. Palestine
