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
No 'deal' for Lebanese singer turned militant Amid the speculation, public resentment and mixed views that have been surrounding the case of Fadel Shaker, will the former singer, now militant, manage to find a way out? Lebanon
Sneaking across Israeli border last resort for desperate Gazans Illegal crossings by Gaza's youths have been increasing despite the fact that those who cross are almost always detained by Israeli forces. Palestine
Iraq accepts international support in its war against IS Iraqis should dismiss criticism against the US role in the war against the Islamic State, because this war is international and the country needs any help it can get, whether foreign or local. Iraq
US sees path to Iran accord US officials say they see a path forward to reaching an agreement with Iran by the end of March for a final nuclear deal. Congress
Bahrain asks Congress for help in restoring arms sales Manama's embassy in Washington is circulating a letter calling for a united front against IS, Iran; Bahrain is courting Congress in its effort to get the Obama administration to unblock weapons sales that were suspended after its 2011 crackdown on Shiite-led protesters. Legacy: Gulf
Is Turkey doing all it can to secure its border? Reports of 11 foreign medics joining the Islamic State have raised fresh questions on Turkey's enforcement of its Syrian border. Syria
Algeria buys Russian arms but keeps Moscow at arm's length Despite a long-standing relationship whereby Algeria buys Russian weaponry, the two nations seem to have trouble seeing eye to eye. Algeria
Israel Arabs will look to Bibi's actions, not words Arab Israelis wait for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prove his regret over his insulting statement on Election Day, and to allocate the needed resources to improve their situation. Israel
AKP's internal tensions finally erupt The underlying question in the Justice and Development Party's internal feud, is whether President Erdogan will have absolute power in his party or whether detractors will be able to express respectful disagreement. Turkey
Egypt terror attacks fail to scare investors The Revolutionary Punishment Movement claimed responsibility for bombing banks that participated in the Egypt Economic Development Conference on March 13-15, in what seems to be a failed attempt at crippling investments in Egypt. Egypt
European consuls: Israel deepens hold on East Jerusalem Security officials and European diplomats all warn of the volatile situation in Jerusalem, where the government continues its occupation policy and discrimination of Palestinian residents in contradiction with international law. Palestine
Will Congress arm Iraqi Kurds? The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs panel is lining up support for his bid to bypass Baghdad. Iraq
