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
Rouhani Presidency Could Bolster US-Iran Exchanges A new report suggests steps to increase academic, scientific and other exchanges between the US and Iran as a cost-effective way to help both countries and lay the ground for normal diplomatic relations. Iran
Erdogan, Taksim Square And the Kurdish Peace The peace process with the Kurds will either be a fatality of the Taksim-Gezi events, or a lifeline for Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Islamic Jihad Demands Hamas Fire Minister Over Killing Ties between Islamic Jihad and Hamas are under serious strain following the killing of an Al-Quds Brigades leader by Hamas police. Palestine
Morsi Condemnation Of Lynchings Not Enough President Mohammed Morsi should embrace Egypt’s Shiite heritage and end for good the Muslim Brotherhood’s sectarianism. Egypt
Erdogan Holds Key To Economic Stability The way Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan handles the protests will have a big impact on long-term foreign investors. Turkey
Is Turkey's Government Seeking Israeli Scapegoat for Protests? There are questions whether Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is trying to shirk responsibility for Istanbul protests by pointing the finger at Israel. Israel
Netanyahu's Circus Tent Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Palestinian President Abu Mazen to meet him in a tent between Jerusalem and Ramallah: Will Abu Mazen rise to the challenge? Palestine
Palestinian Star Is Born On 'Arab Idol' Mohammed Assaf, the winner of ''Arab Idol,'' managed to unite the Palestinians of Gaza and the West Bank, as well as Arab Israeli, giving them reason to be proud. Palestine
Palestinians Refuse Assir's Call To Join Battle in Sidon Hamas is staying out of Lebanon’s sectarian conflict. Lebanon
Yachimovich Braces for Final Battle For Labor Party Labor Party Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich’s new banner of regional diplomacy helps her fight those who challenge her leadership after the poor results at the elections. Israel
Sheikh Al-Assir's Militants Kill Lebanese Soldiers in Sidon After supporters of Sunni Salafist Sheikh Ahmad al-Assir killed Lebanese soldiers in Sidon, Lebanon seemed on the edge of open conflict. Lebanon
Black Iraqis Struggle To Shake Legacy of Racism Although Iraqis of African descent have had a significant presence in the country since the days of slave trade, particularly in the port of Basra, this community continues to face racism today, as it has for centuries. Iraq
