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
Gaza’s fishermen confront multiple dangers Not only are fishermen from Gaza subject to being shot by Israeli sailors, they also struggle against potentially fatal weather conditions. Palestine
Jordan pressured to restrict Muslim Brotherhood Some in Jordan believe the government will not break its historical ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, while others say there will be a crackdown on the group to keep Gulf aid flowing into the kingdom. Legacy: Gulf
US allies puzzled by March deadline for Iran deal The Obama administration, in negotiations with Congress, "bought two months, but sold three," for negotiations for a final Iran nuclear deal, according to a Western diplomat. Congress
Islamic State covets Libya as global terror base, envoy warns Libyan diplomat Aref Ali Nayed urges Washington to step up its involvement in the country. United Arab Emirates
Iranian opposition leader's wife recounts their captivity In an interview with Al-Monitor, the wife of Iran's Green Movement leader Mehdi Karroubi, Fatemeh Karroubi, shares details about her and her husband's house arrest as well as his demands. Iran
Zarif: some in Iran don’t want sanctions to end Iran’s foreign minister has accused groups inside and outside the country of opposing a nuclear deal. Iran
Why Israeli cartoonists don't draw Muhammad The massacre at the French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo hasn’t changed the practice of Israeli cartoonists of refraining from insulting Islam, picking political targets instead. Israel
Sephardic candidates face real discrimination in elections Ahead of the elections, the Israeli political system still shies away from confronting the phenomenon of ''ethnic voting,'' where Sephardic candidates receive less support than those of European candidates. Israel
Netanyahu's household expenses become campaign issue The media's preoccupation with funds from bottle deposits allegedly pocketed by the prime minister's wife draws attention away from the real diplomatic issues, and lets Bibi off the hook. Israel
'Messengers of God' multiply amidst Iraqi chaos The emergence of people claiming to be the Shiites’ awaited Imam Mahdi or his messengers is widespread in Iraqi society, though some contend it is intended to eliminate the Shiite religious authorities. Iraq
What turned Erdogan against the West? The Turkish ruling party’s fast-rising anti-Western rhetoric may be a reaction to Western “meddling in our domestic affairs” rather than opposition to the West’s “imperialist” foreign policy. Turkey
Al-Azhar, Salafist group spar over banking interest The Salafist Call in Egypt issued a fatwa prohibiting banking interest in a move that could push Egyptians to either keep their money at home or in Islamic banks. Egypt
