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
National reconciliation in Iraq remains elusive Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, the national reconciliation project has been subject to several interpretations, as the separation between the innocent and “those who have Iraqi blood on their hands” is still ambiguous. Iraq
Turkish 'hawks' want to settle past injustices The Turkish military is polarized as to whether it should confront the alleged injustices perpetrated by the Gulenists against the army or if it should look to the future. Turkey
Kuwaiti activists targeted under GCC security pact Following the signing of the GCC Internal Security Pact, the recent detention of opposition activists in Kuwait highlight a worsening plight for social dissidents across the region. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu comes back stronger than ever The next Netanyahu government is expected to be a nationalist, right-wing one by definition, with no forces challenging the prime minister to reopen negotiations with the Palestinians. Israel
Netanyahu has no diplomatic fig leaf The setup of the new coalition now being negotiated offers no opening for a renewed diplomatic process, leading Israel into international isolation in a matter of a year. Israel
The deepening rift between Fatah, Hamas Hamas-Fatah relations are further deteriorating as the two movements uphold their storm of mutual accusations, halting any foreseeable prospects of unity. Palestine
Is Bardo attack a sign IS is gaining foothold in Tunisia? The March 18 terrorist attack that claimed the lives of 23 people heightened fears among the public about the Islamic State presence in Tunisia. Tunisia
#AskHamas campaign reaches out on Twitter Hamas started on March 13 a social media campaign on Twitter with the hashtag #AskHamas to reach out to the Western public in a bid to move closer to talks with European countries. Palestine
Number of working Orthodox women on the rise Over the past few years more and more ultra-Orthodox women are seeking work in the secular Israeli labor market, though not everyone in ultra-Orthodox society accepts this. Israel
Iran may turn to biofuels amid worsening pollution As pollution increases in Iran, Iran may finally turn to biofuels, despite previous failed attempts to do so. Iran
Will Qasem Soleimani enter politics? With all of the media attention Qasem Soleimani is getting, it raises the possibility the Quds Force commander will go into politics. Iran
Will Hifter's Libyan army fail? Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s attempt to mobilize an army against the Islamic State in Libya might backfire if its members are comprised of former militiamen who lack discipline. Libya
