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
No Prospects for Palestinian Currency With Israeli maintaining control of the Palestinian economy and internal divisions stalling reconciliation, a Palestinian currency seems little more than a dream, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Davutoglu Should Give Up 'Military Solution' in Syria Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is getting nowhere in his bid to have the European Union lift the arms embargo on Syria, and he should realize his pursuit of a military solution there is only prolonging the conflict, writes Semih Idiz. Syria
The New Muqtada al-Sadr Seeks Moderate Image in Iraq Iraq’s Muqtada al-Sadr started his political career as a radical Shiite cleric but has transformed himself into a force of moderation and stability, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Palestinian Athletes Suffer Under Gaza Blockade After years of Israeli blockade and repeated military offensives, Gaza's athletic facilities as well as the athletes themselves struggle to function, reports Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Lebanon Foreign Minister Creates Stir Over Syria Lebanon’s foreign minister, Adnan Mansour, draws criticism from both his own government and the Gulf states by calling for the reinstatement of Assad’s Syria in the Arab League, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Iraqi Oil Pipeline Through Aqaba In Final Stages Iraq is reaching the final stages of a project that would bring oil from Iraq through Aqaba to Jordan and Egypt, reports Omar al-Shaher. Egypt
Is Morocco a Model or a Mirage? Neither of these two polar-opposite views, model or mirage, does justice to Morocco's uniquely mixed picture or prospects, writes David Pollock. Originals
Palestinians Find Little Justice In Israeli Military Courts Palestinians in the West Bank are subject to Israeli military courts, which offer them little chance for justice, writes Jillian Kestler-D'Amours. Palestine
Netanyahu Sets Scene For Obama Visit Israel's prime minister has stepped up demands for US support while minimizing the visibility of the settlement issue in preparation for the US president's upcoming visit, writes Clovis Maksoud. Israel
Unprecedented Turns On Turkey's Kurdish Question The Imrali Process is providing unexpected hope for a resolution to the Kurdish question in Turkey, writes Cengiz Çandar. Turkey
Lebanese Maronites Hope Patriarch is Next Pope For the first time since Lebanese independence, many Lebanese Maronites think that there is a real chance that their patriarch becomes pope, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Is Hamas Considering Recognition Of Israel? As a step toward international recognition, Hamas is seeking to be removed from the US terrorist organizations list, and for that purpose even considers acknowledging Israel in its 1967 borders, reveals Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
