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
US Considers Next Steps in Syria The Obama administration, which acknowledges Syria probably used chemical weapons, is likely to use the information to rally Russian support at the Security Council. Syria
Russia, The US and Syria After the Boston Bombing Vladimir Putin can remind Barack Obama that in Syria, as in Chechnya, misreading the essential nature of an insurgency has its price, writes Fyodor Lukyanov. Syria
Israeli Finance Minister Lapid Leaves Out Peace Akiva Eldar listened to the speech of Finance Minister Yair Lapid at the annual conference of the INSS, and remarked that the word “peace” was missing. Palestine
Iraqi Kurdistan Parties Concerned About New Electoral Law Minor political parties in Iraq’s Kurdistan region have expressed concerns that the new electoral system will not allow for proper representation, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Jews in Egypt: The Story Of a Dying Community The passing of Carmen Weinstein, leader of the Egyptian Jewish community, symbolizes the near-end of the community in the land of the Nile, writes Jacky Hugi. Egypt
Hezbollah Base Questions Support for Assad With Hezbollah members increasingly dying in Syria, some of the party’s base are re-evaluating its role in the conflict, writes an Al-Monitor correspondent in Beirut. Lebanon
Palestinian Al-Quds University Fights for Israeli Recognition The Israeli government says that the geographic division of Al-Quds University is at the heart of Israel's refusal to recognize it as an Israeli institution, writes Tali Heruti-Sover. Palestine
Likud Official Calls for Referendum On Agreement With Palestinians Likud Knesset member Ofir Akunis reaffirms to Mazal Mualem his party's willingness to promote a referendum bill on a future agreement with the Palestinians. Palestine
Why Did Israel Forget About a Prisoner in Egypt? After 12 years in Egyptian prison, Israeli Ouda Tarabin embarks on a hunger strike as a last resort to awaken public opinion, writes Shlomi Eldar. Egypt
Iraqis Turn to Civil Disobedience In Anbar, Ninevah Provinces Opposition leaders have called for civil disobedience in reaction to Iraq's prime minister calling protesters "insurgents," writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Iraqi Political Blocs Ponder Provincial Election Results As Iraq’s major political blocs count their gains and losses in the recently held provincial elections, Mustafa al-Kadhimi looks forward to what the future holds for politics in Iraq. Iraq
Lebanese Government Formation at Impasse According to sources in the March 14 coalition, the slow process of forming Prime Minister Tammam Salam’s new government may damage both him and the coalition, Elie Hajj reports. Lebanon
