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
'Orthodox Plan' Would Be A Setback for Lebanon The so-called "Orthodox Plan" for the forthcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections would be a setback for Lebanon and a step toward greater sectarianism, writes Clovis Maksoud. Lebanon
Tzipi Livni’s New Role Amounts to Sleight of Hand The great powers given to Hatenua leader Tzipi Livni in negotiations with the Palestinians are mere sleight of hand, writes Nadav Perry, since the chances for a diplomatic breakthrough are almost nonexistent. Israel
Turkish Parliament's Tuesday Meetings Raise Political Temperature Turkish parliamentary party meetings on Tuesdays are characterized by harsh language, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Who Will Pay IOCs in Iraqi Kurdistan? An Iraqi-Turkish oil pipeline for exports from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq might reduce tensions between Baghdad and Erbil, while improving Iraqi-Turkish ties, writes Denise Natali. Iraq
Bulgaria Tells Hamas MPs to Leave Following Bulgaria’s decision to expel visiting Hamas members of parliament, Western states will likely re-evaluate their relationship with the Islamist group, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
Israel's Labor Unions Maintain Stranglehold on Economy Social justice in Israel won't be achieved as long as major labor unions hold monopolies, writes Idan Grinbaum. Israel
Rift Deepens Between Maliki and Iraqi Speaker The tensions between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Iraqi parliament speaker Osama al-Nujaifi signal a deepening of sectarian and political divisions, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Nasrallah Threatens Israel Again Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has again threatened Israel, but the threats may stem from Hezbollah's fortunes declining as a result of the war in Syria, writes Shlomi Eldar. Israel
Iraqi Kurdistan Struggles to Meet Needs of Displaced Syrian Kurds The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is struggling with the number of displaced Syrian Kurds flowing into the region, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Hezbollah Defends Shiite Villages In Syria War A recent military operation by Hezbollah to defend Lebanese Shiite villagers in Syria is another sign that the Syrian conflict is spreading to Lebanon, argues Nasser Chararah. Lebanon
Gazans Hope Elections Will End Palestinian Stalemate More than 300,000 Palestinians in Gaza have registered for the upcoming elections, a sign that Gazans are desperate for an end to the political paralysis, writes Mohammed Suliman. Palestine
Netanyahu Victory Leaves Out Likud The Likud's poor showing in the elections has left Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with only a few portfolios to distribute among his own party's members, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
