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
Former Israeli Minister Calls Palestinian State Unavoidable Ephraim Sneh, former Labor minister and today’s worried citizen, tells Mazal Mualem that whether Israel likes it or not, a Palestinian state will come. Israel
Palestinian Land Owner Suffers Repeated Settler Attacks In an effort to push Abu Jamal's family from their land in the West Bank, the family has faced continual attacks from Israeli settlers for more than a decade, Linah Alsaafin writes. Palestine
Sheikha Mozah of Qatar Much More Than Fashion Icon Sheikha Mozah, the second wife of the emir of Qatar, is the principal benefactor behind a new foundation which aims to improve the lives of Arab Israeli students, writes Shlomi Eldar. Qatar
Liberman Waits for Chance To Collect on Political Debts The man behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's electoral victory is none other than former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman, and he will not let the premier forget it, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
How Much Real Progress Did Obama Make in Israel? The positive impression US President Barack Obama left in Israel will not last long in a Middle East where goodwill is never enough, warns Nadav Perry. Palestine
Tripoli: A Powder Keg of Fundamentalism The northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has been severely affected by the conflict in neighboring Syria, with heightened sectarian tensions threatening an outbreak of civil war, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
IDF: Bar Refaeli May Be a Model, But She's No Model Citizen It is no mere chance that the Israeli Foreign Ministry is happy to use the services of the Israeli top model Bar Refaeli, while the military establishment calls for boycotting her due to her evasion of military service, writes Michal Aharoni. Israel
Syrian Crisis Plays Major Role In Israeli Apology Israel apologized to Turkey for the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident to keep Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the side of United States and Israel — and in line. Syria
Ocalan’s Message Is Much More Than a Cease-Fire PKK Leader Abdullah Ocalan’s message of a “cease-fire” is only the starting point for democratic discussions with the Turkish government, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey
Obama Calls for Peace Talks Without Conditions Obama called on Palestinians to begin talks with Israel despite settlement activity; Iraq is on edge; and it's unclear if a Kurdish initiative and Netanyahu’s apology represent new trends in Turkish foreign policy. Palestine
Turks and Israelis Alike Welcome Reconciliation The announcement of a historic reconciliation between Turkey and Israel catches Shlomi Eldar in the middle of a family vacation in Antalya. Israel
President Obama’s Visit: One Clear Outcome Israel is not an occupying power but a conquering one; this became clear when it was implied that previous negotiations were a “cover-up” to reach the current status quo, writes Clovis Maksoud. Lebanon
