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
Bahrain’s children in conflict The involvement of children in Bahrain’s opposition unrest has set off a firestorm of debate about the politicization of the next generation. Bahrain
Lebanon deserves better Despite the formation of a long-awaited Lebanese Cabinet, the country must rethink sectarianism if it is to persevere in the midst of regional conflicts. Lebanon
Will Erdogan apologize to Turkey's Shiites? Turkey’s high political tensions finally engulfed the Turkish Shiites (Jaafaris) who are furious with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan for calling Shiites “liars, slanderers and hate mongers.” Turkey
Israel addresses terrorist threat from Africa Israel cannot actively fight extreme Muslim terror groups in Africa, but it can join the global development policy designed to combat poverty and the spread of these groups in the long term. Israel
Christian Zionism criticized at evangelical conference Leading evangelical theologians scrutinized the biblical arguments Christian Zionists use to justify their unwavering support for Israel. Palestine
Erdogan turns East Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has tired of joining Europe, and aspires to "Putinize" Turkey not only by veering toward Muslim Asia but also by joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Israel
Al-Monitor Congress Pulse expands Syria, Russia-Ukraine-Mideast coverage Congress Pulse and "Trendlines" delve into the implications of Ukraine for US policy in the Middle East. Syria
Ukraine crisis could strengthen Russia-Iran-China ties Iran will officially remain neutral on Ukraine, but the outcome of the crisis could mean a strengthening of ties with Russia, as both countries share many strategic interests. Russia
Baghdad holds international anti-terrorism conference According to the conference organizers, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were invited, but didn’t attend, despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's accusing of them of supporting terrorism. Saudi Arabia
Anbar witnesses political divide amid ongoing clashes Military operations in Iraq’s Anbar province continue, but local politicians are divided among themselves while preparing for upcoming parliamentary elections. Iraq
Hamas a spectator in latest Gaza-Israel clash Hamas allowed Islamic Jihad to fire rockets at Israel in the vain hope Egypt would communicate directly with Gaza's rulers to restore the cease-fire. Palestine
PIJ rockets remind Israelis of failure of Gaza withdrawal Though Israel possesses the best military means in the region, when attacked by rockets, its hands are tied, unable to retaliate forcefully, and the Israeli population is growing more and more skeptical about the worth of an agreement. Palestine
