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
Abu Mazen Tries to Calm The West Bank The West Bank is seeing a new spike in protests and violence, but Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) still offers the best hope to avoid a third intifada, writes Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
Israel Ramps Up Demolition Of Palestinian Homes Israel has intensified its demolition push in East Jerusalem to support development of a "Greater Jerusalem," reports Dalia Hatuqa. Palestine
Government's Decision Threatens Iraqi Automotive Industry The Iraqi government recently issued a decision imposing heavy registration fees on those who purchase new cars, a move that could destroy the country’s automotive trade, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Egypt’s Culture of Violence Violence has quickly become the norm at protests in Egypt, and is being deployed by both the Islamist government and opposition, Sarah el-Sirgany reports. Egypt
Obama Should Make Clear US Position on Golan The announcement that Genie Energy, a US company, has been granted a license for oil exploration in the Golan requires the US to make clear its position that the Golan Heights are Syrian territory under Israeli occupation, writes Clovis Maksoud. Israel
Netanyahu's Many Roles Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proven he can appeal to many audiences, and may consider Hatneua Leader Tzipi Livni as his bridge to the international community if he is able to form the next government, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
Iran's Foreign Envoy Slams Turkish Media Outgoing Iranian Ambassador to Ankara Bahman Hosseinpour accuses the Turkish media of ulterior motives in spoiling the relations between two countries, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Can The Political Crisis In Egypt Actually Be Resolved? Bassem Sabry outlines the program for a political dialogue in Egypt, but the steps required would involve compromises by both President Mohammed Morsi and the opposition. Egypt
Algerian Gas Plant Readies To Resume Operations As Algerian authorities continue to assess the security situation in the country’s southern regions, the afflicted Amenas gas plant prepares to resume its activities following the terrorist attack on Jan. 16, 2013, reports Kaci Racelma. Algeria
Mauritanian Civil-Society Groups Combat Islamist Threat A widespread campaign is being launched in Mauritania by civil-society organizations to combat the growing threat from Islamic fundamentalism, writes Kaci Racelma. Mauritania
March 14 Coalition Threatened By Draft Lebanese Electoral Law Some groups, including the March 14 Coalition, mistrust that the Orthodox Electoral Law will improve the political scene, reports Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Poll Shows Weak Support For Turkey’s Syria Policies A recent poll shows that Turkey’s interventionist policies have little domestic support and that Turkey remains wary of outside alliances, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
