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's Right Wing Does Not Care About US Credibility Israel's right wing seeks to score propaganda points at US expense. Israel
War Clouds Gather Over Lebanon A US strike on Syria could double the already large number of refugees in Lebanon. Lebanon
US-Iran Nuclear Deal Hinges On Syria Vote If US President Barack Obama fails to win the congressional vote on the authorization to use force against Syria, Iran will conclude a nuclear deal is out of reach. Syria
The AKP, Ibn Khaldun and The New 'Desert Tribes' of Turkey Medieval Muslim thinker Ibn Khaldun provides insight into the evolution and prospects for the AKP. Turkey
Egypt’s New Draft Constitution Threatens Islamist Parties Egypt's draft constitution bans religious political parties, a move that has sent many parties scrambling to remove Islamist traces from their platforms. Egypt
Israel Stalls, Drags Out Peace Talks Palestinian negotiators are frustrated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s team is not willing to pick up where talks with former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert left off. Palestine
Egypt Debates US Strike on Syria Anti-Americanism has clouded perceptions in what is now the post-realist phase of the Egyptian revolution. Egypt
Yemeni Photographers Break With Tradition Young photographers carve a space for themselves in a society that does not always consider the art form a legitimate profession. Yemen
Refugee Crisis in Lebanon Takes Extra Toll on Women The plight of women in Lebanese refugee camps is worsening as refugees continue to flee the war in Syria. Lebanon
Lapid, Bennett Performances Disappoint on Israeli Economy On this Jewish time of “assessments” for the New Year, many are reconsidering the performance of Finance MInister Yair Lapid and Minister of Economy and Trade Naftali Bennett. Israel
Hezbollah's Empty Threats Against Israel Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, Damascus and Tehran are all threatening to set Israel ablaze after any attack on Syria, but none of them has the interest or ability to follow through. Palestine
Turkey’s Middle East Policy Lies in Shambles While Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan may still have some admirers in the "Arab street," he may be losing the admiration of many of the region’s leaders. Egypt
