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
Arens: Netanyahu Made A "Mistake" With Livni Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens, in an interview with Mazal Mualem, criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netantahu's decision to ask Tzipi Livni to join his government, while praising Netnayahu's handling of Iran. Palestine
Abu Mazen: The Strongest of Weak Leaders Abu Mazen is not a weak leader as so many tend to claim, Ben Caspit writes; it's Israel that's been suffering from weak leadership ever since the days of the late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Palestine
Israel Looks Inward The results of the Israeli election were all about nation building, and not peacemaking, writes Einat Wilf. Israel
Turkey Can Improve Democratic Record for EU Bid Turkey has shown progress since it officially applied to become a full member of the European Union in April 1987, but it's still lagging in many basic aspects of democracy, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
The Coming Unknown For NATO’s Policy on Syria Jean-Loup Samaan writes that NATO’s role in Syria is likely to remain limited, and that preserving the infrastructure of the country is essential to prevent a collapse of state authority. Syria
Lebanon at Crossroads Between Tradition and Progress Downtown Beirut recently witnessed two opposing events: a gathering of Salafists calling for a return to religious values, and a civil marriage aimed at achieving social progress, both of which illustrate Lebanon at a crossroad, writes Nasser Chararah. Lebanon
Palestinian Youth Group Rejects Western Aid The Palestinian youth group Tajwal Safar, which runs trips for Palestinian youths so that they can provide help for those in need, is an innovative way to combat the myriad problems in Palestinian society, writes Naela Khalil. Palestine
Hamas and Israel Seek To Maintain Gaza Peace Months after the Egypt-brokered cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, both sides seek to maintain peace in Gaza for political and other motives, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Demand Grows for Third Party In Palestinian Elections Demand is growing among Palestinians for a third party as an alternative to both Hamas and Fatah, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul. Palestine
Lebanese Electoral Law Redresses Christian Rights The proposed electoral law should allow Christian parties to have a greater say in Lebanese politics, writes Scarlett Haddad. Saudi Arabia
Iraqis Must Value Justice, Not Power In light of the escalating Iraqi crisis, the need for a legitimate judicial system and a culture of social justice is becoming ever more apparent, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Will Kerry Convince Ankara on Syria? Semih Idiz writes that Ankara’s resistance to a negotiated outcome in Syria could lead to differences with Washington and perhaps to Turkey’s marginalization in efforts to end the war. Turkey
![Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Arens and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a news conference in Tel Aviv February 28. Arens said fighter planes had already raided key Hizbollah targets in Lebanon. The Israeli assault came in response to a roadside bomb that went off near an Israeli convoy in the south Lebanon occupation zone killing [Brigadier-General Erez Gerstein,] and a Radio Journalist and two soldiers.
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