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 Russia disrupt Iran nuclear talks? Russia could choose to escalate its relationship with the United States and Europe by interfering in the Iran nuclear negotiations. Russia
Yemen's Saleh proves to be a survivor Former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been central to the Houthis' success in Yemen and may determine the country's future. Saudi Arabia
Iran nuclear talks intensify Iran nuclear talks intensify as foreign ministers arrive; a possible accord to emerge this week may be a brief statement followed by further drafting. Iran
Al-Monitor highlights diversity of Islamic feminism Al-Monitor’s monthlong series on women concludes; Lebanese foreign minister appeals to UN Security Council for protection of Christians; members of Congress seek "formal dialogue" on future of Turkish democracy; the fault lines in Aleppo; have Israeli elections sparked long-stalled Palestinian reconciliation?; Ali Hashem profiles self-proclaimed Islamic State Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Iraq
Lebanese foreign minister: UN needs to show its political will In an interview with Al-Monitor, Lebanese Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Gebran Bassil asked for the international community to stop the flight of Christians and minorities from the region. Lebanon
Time for decisions on Iran deal The US and Iran signaled negotiations to reach a political agreement for an Iran nuclear deal are likely to go down to the wire March 31. Congress
Iran MP calls for postponing Erdogan’s Tehran trip Iranian officials have called for the postponement of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's April trip to Tehran based on his comments that Iran is trying to "dominate" the region. Turkey
Congress concerned over Turkey's drift from democracy Lawmakers have asked the State Department to beef up its support for civil society in Turkey to encourage democratic governance. Turkey
Gallipoli centenary marks another snub for Turkish minorities Hundreds of non-Muslim soldiers killed in the Gallipoli campaign 100 years ago were ignored in elaborate centenary observances. Turkey
Riyadh's war on Yemen stokes Saudi nationalism Saudi Arabia's war on Houthis in Yemen is key to rallying the domestic Saudi populace after the regime's repeated failures to obtain a victory over Iran. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu looks for way out of rightist coalition Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs a diplomatic process with the Palestinians to appease the international community, but the parties with which he is negotiating a coalition government are not challenging him on this issue. Israel
Egypt imposes new restrictions on tourist visas Citing national security, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry will no longer issue visas to individual travelers at ports of entry alarming Egypt's tourism sector. Egypt
