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
Rouhani adviser summoned over Iraq comments Despite clarification by Pesident Hassan Rouhani's adviser, conservative critics of Ali Younesi are asking him to step down. Iran
Bibi's 'Mr. Security' strategy helps secure win Israeli media, the Israeli left and also President Barack Obama must draw conclusions from the last-minute victory of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Netanyahu's victory is the Israeli media's failure The Israeli media chose to ignore political realities and to build up the image of Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog instead of taking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign seriously. Israel
Libyan minister: Solution to crisis lies in supporting army In an interview with Al-Monitor, Libyan Minister of Information and Culture Omar al-Qweri stressed that the solution in Libya is not political, but rather military, and can only be achieved by lifting the ban on arming the Libyan army. Egypt
No sign of Turkey-Syria border reopening On March 9, Turkish authorities closed the Bab al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa border crossings with Syria, a move some say may be linked to security measures ahead of Turkey’s parliamentary elections in June. Syria
Israel's diplomatic future in Kahlon's hands When considering whether to join a Netanyahu-led coalition, Kulanu head Moshe Kahlon must bear in mind his party's political platform, which calls for advancing an arrangement with the Palestinians. Israel
Gaza's unhappy sister wives Polygamy is on the rise in Gaza despite the dire economic straits of the Strip's residents. Palestine
Iraqi Christians find safe haven in Jordan’s churches Many Iraqi Christian refugees have given up on the Middle East and refuse to ever go back to Iraq, even if the Islamic State is completely annihilated. Iraq
Lebanon schools struggle to integrate Syrian children UN agencies struggle to meet the education needs of Syrian refugees living in Lebanon. Lebanon
Women face setbacks in new Libya Women in Libya seem to have been better off under Moammar Gadhafi’s rule, when they had better access to education and work and polygamy was virtually obsolete. Libya
Iraqis struggle to maintain architectural heritage Iraq’s historical landmarks are being destroyed and replaced by modern structures, as the government and municipalities fail to adopt measures that protect the country’s architectural heritage. Iraq
'Roller coaster' Iran talks show progress US officials expect talks may have to resume next week to conclude a political accord on an Iran nuclear deal by the end of the month. Iran
