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
Israel debates legalizing medical marijuana The Israeli medical community is debating the use of medical marijuana for veterans who suffer from lasting post-war trauma. Israel
Israel benefits from Hamas' decline Hamas finds itself in one of its lowest points ever, abandoned by Cairo, Tehran and Damascus and forced to keep a quiet border with Israel. Palestine
Turkey’s give and take with EU on visa policy Ankara has started uphill talks with the EU on visa-free travel for Turkish citizens in return for agreeing to take back immigrants who illegally enter the EU via Turkey. Turkey
Terrorism continues to shake Lebanon’s security The Salafist jihadist current has been on the rise in Lebanon as a result of the Syrian conflict. Lebanon
Alevi jitters worsen in Turkey Turkey’s Alevi community fears that the government’s ostracizing rhetoric and policies are encouraging discrimination and physical attacks. Turkey
Whatever happened to the Arab Spring? Three years on, the old Arab order remains and the democratic transition is still distant. Pan Arab
Attack on Hanan Ashrawi unfair Daoud Kuttab responds to Shlomi Eldar’s criticism of the PLO Executive Committee member, urging the Israeli columnist to address the occupation instead of attacking a Palestinian figure defending the rights of her people. Palestine
Hamas calls off anniversary celebrations Hamas has denied that the cancellation of its big anniversary celebration in the Gaza Strip is the result of declining popularity or financial problems. Palestine
Return of once forbidden Ashoura chants signals Shiite revival After Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, once forbidden Shiite hymns have become highly popular as part of a general religious revival in the Shiite community. Iraq
Egypt pushes to keep politics out of soccer, sports The penalties given to Egyptian soccer star Ahmed Abd el-Zaher for making a political gesture during a match has sparked a debate about the role of politics in Egyptian sports. Egypt
Muslim Brotherhood's new TV channel unlikely to influence viewers Unless the broadcasters behind Rabaa TV can offer more than sarcasm and spin, viewers in Egypt are likely to lose interest. Egypt
Syrian Kurds jockey for seat at Geneva talks As long as the Assad regime and the opposition fail to come to an agreement, Syria’s Kurds will continue to consolidate their gains. Iraq
