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
Could Meretz Party amass more Arab votes? In an interview with Al-Monitor, Knesset member Esawi Frij says that the strong tribal or family identity of Israeli Arabs will not necessarily encourage them to support the United Arab Party, opening the way to support leftist Meretz. Israel
Netanyahu's Iranian boomerang Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rejection of an agreement with Iran will result in Israel losing the support of its Western allies and in Iran being legitimized as a nuclear threshold state by its Arab neighbors. Palestine
Lebanese army faces war of attrition The Lebanese army waits for the authorities to take decisive action and cooperate with Hezbollah and the Syrian regime to fight radical groups in Lebanon. Lebanon
Israeli pollsters struggle to keep pace with social media Following the unexpected results of the 2013 elections, can Israeli pollsters grasp the socio-economic concerns of young Israelis expressed online? Israel
Congress gives Obama two more months to strike Iran deal Hawkish Democrats announce they won’t vote for sanctions before March 24 deal deadline. Iran
Turkey’s arms procurement raises questions There are questions being raised about the wisdom of Turkey's expensive defense expenditures — but not by the public. Turkey
Iran warned US of 'consequences' for killing general Iran's deputy foreign minister has said that Iran told the United States that there will be "consequences" for Israel over the Jan. 18 killing of an Iranian general. Israel
Erdogan's Saudi dilemma Experts say Ankara will maintain cordial, if not warm, ties with Riyadh, disregarding deep differences over Egypt and the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia
Who wants to be a Knesset member? The political arena has lost its attractiveness for people of substantial public service and achievement, opening the stage for media celebrities, and even for the world of soccer. Israel
Hamas begins rapprochement with Hezbollah, Iran A series of meetings in Beirut have brought Hamas and Hezbollah closer, after their divided stances on the Syrian issue and in light of a possible conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Palestine
Austerity for Egypt's Internet? As social media activists in Egypt rally to demand faster and cheaper Internet services, the government of Ibrahim Mehleb asks citizens to limit their Internet consumption, a move many see as one austerity step too far. Egypt
Palestinians prepare ICC files Palestine is preparing files on Israeli settlement activity and the 2014 war on Gaza for submission to the International Criminal Court come April 1. Palestine
