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
Netanyahu's coalition choices Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to choose the option that allows him to extend his term as long as possible, but has no idea which potential coalition — a rightist one or a partnership with the Zionist Camp — can do that. Israel
Mistrust blinds Netanyahu to regional openings The dangers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu perceives in the region obstruct his ability to see opportunities favorable to Israel. Legacy: Gulf
CHP report exposes Turkey's high poverty levels Following revelations that the Turkish government has profiled the entire population, the main opposition responds by “profiling” alarming poverty among the masses. Turkey
Saudi-caused chaos continues in Yemen The complexities of the Yemeni state will stand in the way of a political settlement that might result from the military intervention launched by Saudi Arabia against the Houthis in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Iran talks may go into night There were signs that Iran and the six world powers were preparing to announce a partial agreement for a final Iran nuclear deal, but diplomats said the talks could go on into the night or the next day, April 1. Russia
Tehran-Kabul relationship faces difficult road As militants begin to prepare for the spring offensive, Iran will face new challenges in dealing with its neighbor to the east. Iran
Iraq's Rambo fights against IS An Iraqi fighter who goes by the name "Abu Azrael" has been made into a legendary, fierce Shiite fighter by the Iraqi media in its coverage of the battle against the Islamic State. Iraq
Turkey's misguided Yemen move Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s backing for the Saudi-led camp in the Yemen crisis aims both at an indirect score-settling with Iran and injecting Gulf money into the veins of the troubled Turkish economy. Saudi Arabia
Why freezing Palestinian taxes won't help Israel Israel's freezing of Palestinian tax revenues is contributing to the dire economic situation in the West Bank and could accelerate the beginning of another cycle of violence. Palestine
Why did Israel side with Saudi Arabia on Yemen? Rather than celebrating Saudi Arabia’s attack on Yemen, Israel should feel aversion toward it, since the destabilization of any Arab state can only lead to more and more terrorism and ultimately impacts Israel. Saudi Arabia
Egypt warily signs preliminary Nile agreement While showing some optimism about the Declaration of Principles it recently signed with Sudan and Ethiopia, Egypt is proceeding with caution concerning its historical water rights. Egypt
Negotiators work through night on Iran deal Foreign ministers from the P5+1 countries must now contend with the clock as they work out remaining hang-ups. Congress
