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
Obama's Lesson in Zionism During his visit to Israel, President Barack Obama reminded the world of the values of liberation and self-determination on which Zionism is based, writes Einat Wilf. Palestine
Israeli Apology Pushes Hamas Away From Turkey Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s apology to Turkish counterpart Erdogan over the Mavi Marmara incident has brought Turkey closer to Israel but pushed Hamas away, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
Palestinian Patients Denied Adequate Treatment in Israel Callousness on the part of Jerusalem, Gaza and Ramallah alike prevents Palestinians from getting life-saving treatment at Israeli hospitals, writes Akiva Eldar. Palestine
US, Russia Diplomatic Cold War in Beirut As the Syrian civil war continues to encroach on life in Lebanon, the US and Russian ambassadors have been playing an intriguing diplomatic game, competing in support for their Lebanese allies and currying favor with politicians, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Knesset Member: Israel, Region Must Cooperate on Environment In an interview with Mazal Mualem, Knesset Member Nitzan Horowitz details his vision for regional cooperation with Israel's neighbors. Israel
Hamas, Hezbollah Take Opposite Sides in Syria Hamas and Hezbollah leaders find themselves on opposite sides of the war in Syria, writes Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
Surfing in Gaza Although there is a burgeoning surfing scene in the Gaza Strip, Gazan surfers struggle to find the necessary equipment and facilities, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Palestinian Authority’s 2013 Budget Passed Despite Political Rift As political rifts persist among the leaders of the Palestinian Authority, the 2013 budget has been passed with promises of donations from the EU, the US and Arab donors, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Maliki Seeks 'Majority Government' In Iraq Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki seeks to establish a "majority government" that would further marginalize his Sunni and Kurdish political rivals, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Iraq: The Parliament That Barely Meets The Iraqi parliament, already not known for its long hours, barely met in March amid a new power struggle between Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Speaker Osama al-Nujaifi, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Israeli Arabs Attack Al Jazeera Crew Following the assault on an Al Jazeera crew in the Arab-Israeli town of Sakhnin, Shlomi Eldar wonders why the Qatari news network is considered as the “bad guy” when it comes to Syria. Qatar
Gaza Family Homeless Following Slum Demolition Following a decision by the Hamas-led government in Gaza to destroy a slum that they claim was illegally constructed, the Abu Amrah family finds itself homeless and with few options, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul. Palestine
