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
Iran official says nuclear file back with National Security Council According to a member of Iran's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Iran’s nuclear file has been returned to the council by the Foreigh Ministry. Iran
Israel's defense budget means costs elsewhere Unlike late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely once again give in to the terrifying annual intimidation campaign of the defense establishment eager to secure its budget. Israel
Lebanon: private education soars, public education sinks Despite a student-teacher ratio of 7-1, public education in Lebanon ranks poorly worldwide and reform is urgently needed. Lebanon
Rebels fight to prevent regime siege in Aleppo After successful sieges and truces in Damascus and Homs, all eyes turn to Aleppo, where rebels are trying to prevent the Syrian regime from imposing a similar siege. Syria
Misreading Syria The United States misjudged the ability of the Syrian army to evolve and adapt, with assistance from Hezbollah and Iran, leading to faulty predictions that Bashar al-Assad’s days were numbered. Syria
Knesset member withdraws Temple Mount bill amid warnings Labor Party Knesset member Hilik Bar, champion of the two-state solution, retracted his bill designed to organize prayer time slots for both Jews and Muslims on Temple Mount, after harsh reactions from both the Jordanian monarchy and the Shin Bet. Israel
Most Palestinian Christians back Maronite patriarch's visit Many Palestinian Christians support the visit to the Holy Land by Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros al-Rai, although the PFLP, the Boycott movement and others have criticized it Palestine
Prospects of Shiite 'National Alliance' hinge on Maliki Most Shiite forces, for now, think they have an interest in rebuilding the alliance, but the final call will depend on the decision of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the State of Law Coalition, which won the most votes in the parliamentary elections last month. Iraq
Turkey's Circassians jangle Russian nerves Circassians in Turkey have grown bolder in speaking out about their 19th-century suffering and exile, irritating Russia and straining diaspora organizations. Turkey
Khamenei outlines 14-point plan to increase population Iran's supreme leader has published his plan to speed the country's population growth. Iran
Algeria considers Egypt alliance to confront Libyan terror threat Algeria is alarmed at the rising security threat posed by radical jihadist groups in Libya. Egypt
Israel pushes West Bank toward economic disaster Turning the West Bank into the economic twin of the Gaza Strip will provoke new threats to Israel's security, which is why the US administration leans toward cooperating with the new Palestinian unity government. Palestine
