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
Fear of Islamic Extremism Brings Eastern Churches Closer There are growing links between the various churches of Eastern Christianity, driven by what they see as the threats to Christianity in the Middle East as a result of the Arab Spring, writes Nasser Chararah. Lebanon
Gaza Sees Rise in Violence, Crime Violence and lawlessness are on the rise in Gaza, reports Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Israeli Authorities Mostly Ignore Settler Attacks on Palestinian Village The inhabitants of the Palestinian village of Qusra are regularly attacked by the Israeli settlers from nearby settlements, with the Israeli authorities doing little to help, reports Naela Khalil. Palestine
Syrian Kurdish Militia Takes Over Oil Fields Syrian Kurdish groups have seized control of several key oil fields, provoking concerns among the Syrian opposition and Turkey about the coming division of Syria, writes Wladimir van Wilgenburg. Syria
Israel: From Kitchenette to Octet Akiva Eldar wonders why women in Israel are excluded from all focal points of crucial decision-making. Israel
Will 'Almaty 2' Talks in April Win Breakthrough on Iran? The Iran-P5+1 talks in Almaty last month were just a start, but the stage is set for a possible breakthrough in the next round, Almaty 2, scheduled for April, writes Seyed Hossein Mousavian. Iran
Speaker Accuses Maliki of Meddling In Iraq's Independent Commissions Iraqi Speaker of the Council of Representatvies Osama Al-Nujaifi has criticized Prime MInister Nouri Al-Maliki for interfering in Iraq's independent commissions, provoking strong responses from Maliki's State of Law Coalition, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Israel Restricts Entry of Foreigners Into Palestinian Territories Israel is increasingly preventing foreign passport holders from entering the Palestinian territories, Linah Alsaafin reports. Palestine
Next Israeli Government Will Be 'Short Term,' Says Knesset Member Knesset member Moshe Gafni from the ultra-Orthodox Yahadut HaTorah party explains to Mazal Mualem the failings of both Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and HaBayit HaYehudi Chairman Naftali Bennett, predicting political disaster if they are included in the next Israeli government. Israel
Finance Minister's Resignation Escalates Iraqi Crisis Mustafa al-Kadhimi asks whether Iraq’s politicians have abandoned negotiations to exploit the ongoing protests for electoral gains. Iraq
Yair Lapid, Beppe Grillo And Social Justice Nadav Eyal compares the aftermath of the Italian Five Star movement to the Israeli social justice protest and considers that new Israeli faces can and might deliver. Israel
'Cyrus Cylinder' a Reminder Of Persian Legacy of Tolerance Iran’s government encouraged the British Museum to send the Cyrus Cylinder, an ancient artifact celebrating religious liberty, to the United States, the museum director says. Iran
