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
The Rise and Fall Of the Palestinian Left A book by Palestinian writer Jamil Hilal charts the rise and fall of leftist forces in Palestine, and asks what the future holds for them, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Baghdad-Kuwait Flights to Resume After 22-Year Hiatus Iraq’s national carrier, Iraqi Airways, is about to begin a twice-weekly service from Baghdad to Kuwait, a development that shows progress in reconciliation between the two former foes, writes Omar al-Shaher. Kuwait
Israel Should Recognize Rights Of Palestinian Journalists Daoud Kuttab writes on the need for Israel to grant Palestinian journalists greater access and freedom of movement. Palestine
More Than Meets the Eye In Turkish-Israeli Ties Semih Idiz writes that while Turkish-Israeli relations seem to be at a low, Ankara and Tel Aviv continue to engage on security and energy matters. Israel
Is There a Turkish Kurdistan? Mustafa Akyol examines the questions, risks and consequences of Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. Turkey
Controversial Iraqi Cleric Arrested in Iran The arrest in Iran of prominent Shiite cleric Ahmad Qabanji, known for his progressive interpretation of Islam, has sparked fury among his supporters, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Israeli Settlement Leader Invites Obama to Visit Oded Ravivi, head of Efrat's regional council, talks about the personal invitation he extended to the US president to visit the Gush Etzion settlement block in an interview with Mazal Mualem. Palestine
Building High-Tech Success Stories In Palestine Thirty-five young Palestinian high-tech entrepreneurs enrolled for studies at a USAID-supported program at Tel Aviv University with the aim of upgrading their managerial skills, reports Tali Heruti-Sover. Palestine
New IAEA Report Shows Iranian Nuclear Advances Iran has made several nuclear advances ahead of talks next week in Kazakhstan, according to the latest report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, reports Barbara Slavin. Iran
Lapid-Bennett Alliance Holds Firm in Talks Over New Israeli Government Yair Lapid of Yesh Atid and Naftali Bennett of HaBayit HaYehudi are holding firm as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu assembles his new government, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Issawi Case Raises Questions About Israeli Military Law The re-arrest of Samer Issawi has raised new questions about the Israeli military's practice of arrest and detention without charges, writes Lena Odgaard. Palestine
Muasher: Obama Should Try To Solve Conflict in a 'Few Months' In an interview with Akiva Eldar, Marwan Muasher, Jordan’s former foreign minister and its first ambassador to Israel, warns that the failure of the Arab peace initiative will signal the end of the “two-state” paradigm. Palestine
