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
Travel Restrictions Take Toll On Palestinian Relationships Gazan filmmaker Abu Sido thought that his six-year relationship with a girl from the West Bank could work, but travel restrictions proved to be stronger. Palestine
Turkey-Kurdish Peace Could Be Victim of Istanbul Showdown Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hard-line approach in dealing with the Gezi Park demonstrators could endanger the Turkey-Kurdish peace process. Turkey
Erdogan Raises the Stakes The intimidation tactics and high tension strategies that Turkey's prime minister appears to have opted for will unsettle the economy, the Kurdish peace process and eventually the AKP. Turkey
Israelis Invest in Cybersecurity Americans could learn from Israel about the demands of cybersecurity in the 21st century. Israel
Whether Qusair Will Tip The Balance Remains to Be Seen The defeat of Syrian opposition forces in Qusair may be a turning point toward a deepening of the conflict or a catalyst for a peace conference. Lebanon
Kurdish 'Arab Idol' Contestant Promotes Iraqi Kurdistan Though Arab contestants have traditionally dominated "Arab Idol," the Arab world’s version of "Pop Idol," Kurdish singer Parwas Hussein has introduced the Kurdish language and culture to Arab viewers. Iraq
Istanbul Square Crackdown Shakes Erdogan’s Regional Credibility Ankara must now go on defense and try to protect itself from negative fallout in Syria. Turkey
Hamas Considers New Blend Of Resistance, Politics In the last of a three-part series on Hamas, its leaders seek to balance their tradition of uncompromising resistance to Israel with more nuanced considerations of governance. Palestine
Former Israeli Minister Predicts Violent 'Israeli Spring' "Don't belittle the chances of an Israeli Spring," warns former Labor party minister Ra'anan Cohen, addressing Israel's lack of economic vision and deepening social gaps. Israel
Netanyahu Not Really Considering Two-State Solution, Says Danon Israel's Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon lets the cat out of the bag. Palestine
Why Iran’s Supreme Leader Wants Jalili for President With his loyalty to the supreme leader and lack of ties to established groups, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili appears to have Khamenei’s backing. Iran
Is This the Beginning Of Erdogan Era's End? Some of the traits that made Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a success are now emerging as liabilities. Turkey
