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
The Iraq War Is Not Over Geoffrey Aronson writes that while the Iraq War may have ended for Americans, sectarian regional wars are being fought there and in Syria. Iraq
Obama Gets Mixed Reception On Visit to Ramallah With no clear peace initiatives to push, US President Barack Obama has received a mixed reception on his visit to Israel and the West Bank from Palestinians, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Lebanon: Syria War Spreads to Arsal The Lebanese government is concerned over the northern Lebanese town of Arsal’s becoming a futher target of Syrian government attacks, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
US, Iraq Seek to Boost Oil Sector Transparency Washington and Baghdad enter into an agreement to ensure greater transparency in the oil sector, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Muqtada al-Sadr: Staying In Iraqi Government a 'Sin' A statement released by controversial Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr contains stinging criticism of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Turkey Faces New Challenges Over Cyprus Negotiations between Nicosia and Moscow over gas reserves off the southern Cyprus coast are being watched with concern by Ankara, which does not accept Nicosia’s claim to full sovereignty over these reserves, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Erdogan's Kurdish PoliciesBreak From Turkey's Past Mustafa Akyol writes that Turkey's Kurdish policies represent a reorientation of Turkey's new political elite under the leadership of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Lebanon Must Isolate Itself From Syria Crisis The competing Lebanese coalitions must consolidate their current policy of self-distancing from the crisis in Syria to avoid being dragged into the civil war and to prevent the war from exacerbating sectarian tensions and politics in Lebanon, writes Nassif Hitti. Lebanon
Palestinians Erect Tent Village During Obama Visit As the US president backtracks on earlier statements on settlements, Palestinians resort to nonviolent resistance to reclaim land and draw attention to their plight, writes Dalia Hatuqa. Palestine
Gazans Unmoved by Obama Visit Gaza's Palestinians have expressed mostly pessimism and frustration in response to US President Barack Obama's visit, reports Mohammed Suliman. Palestine
Palestinians Hope Obama’s Words Mean Action Daoud Kuttab writes that, for Palestinians, what matters is not just what was said, but more importantly what happens next. Palestine
Obama Makes His Case for Israel To Resume Peace Efforts President Barack Obama appealed directly to the Israeli people to recognize that settlements in occupied territory hurt peace prospects, Akiva Eldar reports. Palestine
