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
Gaza's Only Music School May Close Asmaa al-Ghoul tells the story of Gaza's only music school, which may have to close as it faces increasing financial pressures. Palestine
The Salafi-Brotherhood Feud in Egypt Khalil al-Anani writes about the tensions between the Salafi Nour Party and the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
Barzani Plans to Host Summit As Iraqi Political Crisis Worsens Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani plans to host a summit of Iraq's political leaders as the country's political crisis worsens, writes Bushra Al Mudhafar. Iraq
Syrian Government Insists: No Conditions on Dialogue A Syrian official says Damascus is in principle open to dialogue, but not with preconditions, reports Jean Aziz. Lebanon
In Gaza, Hamas to Launch New Job-Creation Program Hamas is trying to address soaring youth unemployment in Gaza with a new job-creation program targeting university graduates, Rami Almeghari reports. Palestine
Hamas Leader Meshaal Pays 'Secretive' Visit to Turkey Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal has quietly paid a visit to Ankara, raising new questions about Turkey's Middle East policies, writes Tulin Daloglu. Palestine
Egypt Floods Gaza's Smuggling Tunnels Egypt's decision to flood some of Gaza's tunnels last week caught local Palestinians by surprise, Abeer Ayyoub reports. Palestine
Mother of Palestinian Prisoners Lacks Faith in PA Leadership Linah Alsaafin speaks to the mother of four Palestinian detainees, a woman who refuses to give up hope even with "nonexistent" support from the Palestinian Authority officials to families of prisoners. Palestine
Maliki Wields 'De-Baathification' In Iraqi Power Struggle Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is facing accusations that he has been abusing the role of the Justice and Accountability Committee, using it only against opponents, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Israel Should Build Field Hospital On the Golan Border When the IDF assisted seven wounded Syrian rebels who reached the Israeli border, it was a one-time event, but Shlomi Eldar suggests that Israel open a field hospital to plant the seeds of reconciliation. Israel
Syria War Spurs US Military Aid To Lebanon The Obama administration intends to continue aid to the Lebanese army to help prevent the spread of sectarian fighting from Syria and to counter the influence of Hezbollah. Lebanon
Libya's 'Political Isolation Law' Generates Controversy Libya's parliament is considering a bill that would categorize Libyans according to their roles during the regime of former Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. Libya
