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
Iraq Restores Historic Ottoman Site The Iraqi government is paying more attention to the country’s heritage sites, such as the old Ottoman headquarters of Qishla in Baghdad, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
East Jerusalem Village Residents Claim Harassment by Israel Jillian Kestler-D'Amours reports on complaints of harassment by residents of the east Jerusalem village of Issawiya, home to Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi. Palestine
Israel Fears North Korea to Become Nuclear Supplier of Middle East The nuclear test conducted by North Korea delivers a message to Iran and to other potential customers in the region, writes Alon Ben David: Why work hard to develop a bomb if you can simply buy one off the shelf? Israel
Fatwa Issued Against 3G Internet Operator in Iran Iranian grand ayatollahs and conservative parliamentarians are moving to shut down a new 3G mobile Internet operator because of its video capability, reports David Jones from Iran. Iran
Israel-Palestine Interim Agreements Block Final Deal Israelis and Palestinians have negotiated one interim arrangement after another, but a final-status agreement has yet to be reached, writes Akiva Eldar. Palestine
Turkey Launches Ship to SupportOffshore Energy Exploration Turkey commits resources, including dedicated naval vessels, to preserve and protect its rights in its exclusive economic zone in the Eastern Mediterranean, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Palestinian Parties Remain Divided Over Elections Hamas and Fatah remain divided as discussions break down over pending elections, writes Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Gazans Suffer As Foreign NGOs Refuse to Deal with Hamas Because of its designation as a terrorist organization, many foreign NGOs have refused to cooperate with the Hamas government, increasing the suffering of the Strip’s residents, reports Omar Shaban. Palestine
Erdogan Visit Highlights Poor Health Care in Turkish Prisons Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to a hospital to see an army officer implicated in a coup attempt has drawn attention to the poor health care in Turkish prisons, writes Sibel Utku Bila. Turkey
Syria Between Dialogue, Disaster As the Syrian conflict intensifies, Nassif Hitti argues that the only way out of the crisis is through a mutual understanding between the regime and opposition based on the Geneva Declaration. Lebanon
Hezbollah Combats Corruption Since its founding in 1982, Hezbollah has expanded from a military body to include social, political and economic programs, as its leaders work to minimize corruption. Lebanon
Israelis Begin to See Continuity In Mubarak, Morsi Policies The Israelis seem to miss deposed Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, whose concept of peace was not much different from that of his successor, Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi, writes Jacky Hugi. Egypt
