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
Turkish-Kurdish Leader Cautious, Hopeful on Peace Plan Ahmet Turk, a pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party member, draws attention to a new legislation bringing municipalities under direct tutelage of governors, and argues that is in direct contradiction to the government’s Kurdish initiative. Turkey
AKP Wages Jihad Against Alcohol in Turkey The AKP’s draft law of aggressive alcohol restrictions aims not only to engineer an Islamic society but to prevent possible losses in its conservative electoral base. Turkey
Australian Visit Highlights Syrian Refugee Problem in Lebanon Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr calls for an end to the fighting in Syria and support for Lebanon. Lebanon
Tunisian Youth Disillusioned With Politics Young Tunisian independent activists are sitting out party politics and looking for other outlets of change. Culture & Society
Maliki Scrambles to Address Deteriorating Iraqi Security Iraq's leaders have no answers as they struggle to reassure Iraqis after a wave of terrorist bombings. Iraq
Lod: Israel’s Troubled City Hoping for Better Days Jewish and Arab activists join hands fighting crime, poverty and mutual mistrust in efforts to rescue Lod. Israel
Memo to John Kerry: 'Two-State Solution' Bankrupt Kilometers of fine roads testify to the fact that illegal outposts in the West Bank flourish under the auspices of the Israeli government. Palestine
Report Blasts Women's Exclusion From Israel's Public Sphere Though Israel prides itself as being enlightened, the Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has recommended criminalizing the exclusion of women from the public sphere. Israel
Lebanese Politics Affected By Syrian Battle for Qusair The fall of the Syrian town of Qusair to regime forces will likely have consequences for Lebanon. Lebanon
The Limits to Europe's Pivot to the Gulf As the US strategic posture pivots toward Asia, Europe is looking again at the Gulf. Legacy: Gulf
Syrian Minister Defends 'Legitimate Right' to Fire on Israel An exchange of fire between Israel and Syria on the Golan Heights raises the question of whether Damascus has adopted a new policy toward Israel and the possibility of an active Golan front. Israel
Gaza Prisoner's Wife Impregnated Via Sperm Smuggled From Jail With many married Palestinian prisoners unable to have children because they are separated from their wives, some are resorting to in-vitro fertilization after smuggling their sperm samples from prison. Palestine
