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
Ocalan Negotiations Impact Future of Turkish Presidency Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s negotiations with Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), are not just over a peace agreement; they have implications for the future of the Turkish presidency, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Iraqi 'Sahwa' Forces Elect New Leadership After years of Sunni divisions and a rapidly changing sectarian landscape in Iraq, Sahwa forces have elected a new leadership, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Instagram Scandal HighlightsRacism Among Israeli Youth The image of a Palestinian child in the crosshairs of a gun posted by an Israeli soldier on Instagram may reflect an undercurrent of racism against Palestinians in Israeli society, not just an indictment of an Israeli military culture, writes Lena Odgaard. Palestine
Lebanese Politician Criticizes Failures in Government Services Speaking to Elie Hajj, a prominent Lebanese politician argues that the country’s political class is incapable of resolving problems and fails to address the citizens' most basic needs. Lebanon
South Yemen Separatists Call For Secession Separatists in Aden, South Yemen, have engaged in deadly clashes with security forces and pro-unification protesters from the Islamist Islah Party and have renewed calls for secession, complicating Yemen’s fragile transition, reports Vivian Salama from Aden. Yemen
Baghdad and Iraqi Kurds On Edge in Tense Climate Relations between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Region of Iraq have worsened in advance of a visit by KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to Baghdad to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Hezbollah-Israel Psychological War Continues in Nasrallah Speech Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s television appearance on Feb. 27 was a carefully crafted psychological warfare operation, writes Nasser Chararah. Israel
The 'Sunnification' Of Turkish Foreign Policy Turkey once hoped to be a peace broker in the region, but is now increasingly seen as inflaming sectarian divisions and instability, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Gaza Artists Union Defends Culture From Political Warfare Palestinian artists have formed a new union in Gaza in response to declining support and funding of the arts amid continued infighting between Hamas and Fatah, reports Rami Almeghari. Palestine
Parents Get on Board With Turkey's LGBT Movement A new documentary reveals that parents of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals in Turkey are speaking out for the first time in support of their children, marking a new milestone for the movement in the country, writes Sibel Utku Bila. Turkey
Palestinian Elections Pointless Under Israeli Occupation Talk of Palestinian elections creates the illusion that Palestinians are in charge of their destiny, but the real power ultimately lies with Israel, writes Rana Baker. Palestine
Syria Remains Prisoner Of International Indecision The outcome of the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib demonstrates the regional and international constraints hampering resolution of the Syrian crisis, writes Clovis Maksoud. Lebanon
