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
Qatar rejects Egypt’s war on terrorism The Egyptian request to carry out, under international cover, airstrikes against Islamic State strongholds in Libya was rejected by Qatar, which reveals the emergence of new alliances in the Middle East. Qatar
Female journalists excel in Gaza's sports media Despite societal barriers, more women journalists in Gaza are covering sports, but their numbers are still low relative to men. Palestine
AIPAC objects to Netanyahu's Congress address Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress might be his last major card to play before the March 17 elections, which is why he is determined to deliver it despite objections at home and by AIPAC. Israel
Are Egypt's women really better off under Sisi? Life for women in Egypt has improved significantly under the reign of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi compared to the era of the Muslim Brotherhood, although some female activists say that women still have a long way to go toward emancipation. Egypt
America’s neglected asset in fight for Mosul The Pentagon recently declared its 2015 plan to liberate Mosul from the Islamic State, an operation that may be effective only if the resistance groups already operating in Mosul are involved. Iraq
Sinai residents feel betrayed by Egyptian media The Egyptian media has been accused of trivializing the situation in Sinai, which either castigates or ignores residents while they are being beheaded by Islamic extremists for cooperating with the army in its anti-terrorism campaign against them. Egypt
Netanyahu focuses on Iran, neglects housing crisis Benjamin Netanyahu has been prime minister since 2009 — enough time to set policy and determine priorities — but the state comptroller's recent report reveals that he has failed in addressing the housing crisis. Israel
One man's return to Gaza In an interview with Al-Monitor, the journalist Majdi Arbid, who fled Gaza eight years ago, tells of the dire situation he encountered when he returned. Palestine
Is Congress backing Sisi's battle against Islamists? Lawmakers declined to grill Secretary of State John Kerry on military assistance to Egypt. Egypt
Will Israeli Jews vote for Joint List? The predominately Arab joint list has opened a second campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv, designed to attract Jewish left-wing voters and increase the slate's visibility within Israeli society. Israel
Was Rouhani's zero-inflation claim misleading? Both economists and political rivals question President Hassan Rouhani's claim of zero inflation, saying he used the wrong criteria. Iran
Joint List leaders must seize momentum Israeli Arab experts agree that uniting the Arab parties into one joint list is an achievement in itself, but the political leaders must now seize the momentum to address the issues that preoccupy their constituency. Israel
