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
Lebanon Headed Toward Crisis, Full-Blown Sectarian Violence Lebanon’s government crisis as well as repercussions of the war in neighboring Syria are threatening to drag the country into a crisis of major proportions. Lebanon
Israel Shares Responsibility For Gaza's Cultural Deficit Israel’s restrictions on movement are doing as much to hinder Gaza’s cultural and intellectual development as any Hamas Islamization policy. Palestine
Foreign Oil Companies in Basra Caught in Political Crossfire Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law coalition has lost control of the governorship in the oil-rich province of Basra, adding a new wrinkle to oil disputes in the region. Iraq
Syriac Christians, Kurds Boost Cooperation in Syria A shared desire to remain neutral in Syria links the political parties of the Assyrian Christian and Kurdish minorities despite government encouragement of sectarian security branches. Syria
The Return of 'Mujahid' in Turkey Is the return of Erdogan’s "mujahid" identity foreshadowing a further religious turn by the Justice and Development Party? Turkey
Peres Birthday Bash Strikes Wrong Chord With Some Israelis In the social context, while Israeli citizens struggle with economic cuts and the polarization of society, President Shimon Peres' 90th birthday celebrations seem out of line. Israel
Will Israel Solve Gaza Fuel Crisis? Hamas chosen to unilaterally cut itself off from Israeli fuel and to replace it with gas from Egypt — a decision that has turned out to be a mistake. Palestine
Barzani Seeks Compromise On Draft Constitution Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani has called together Kurdish factions to discuss controversial aspects of the region’s long-awaited draft constitution. Iraq
Hamas Police Crack Down On Beach Cafe 'Vices' Policemen are regularly intruding into beach cafes in Gaza, targeting a range of "vices" from women smoking argileh to boys and girls walking together on the beach. Palestine
Hezbollah Keen on Hamas Alliance Despite Criticism Hezbollah seeks to repair ties with Hamas which have been strained over Syria. Palestine
Opposition in Iraqi Kurdistan Questions Population Figures Population growth and density have become a hot topic among the Iraqi Kurdistan Region's opposition parties, as changing figures will inevitably affect election outcomes. Iraq
Iran Cuts Funding to Hamas For Cultural Programs Iranian funds for Gaza's cultural, education and sports scene have withered due to the fallout with Hamas over Syria. Palestine
