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
Iraqi Kurdistan 'Will to Achieve' Key to Success The Iraqi Kurdistan Region's economic success is rooted in a will to achieve that has outpaced the rest of Iraq, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Syrian Official Claims Regime 'Extremely Comfortable' While on a personal visit to Beirut, an official from Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime said that the regime is “extremely comfortable” with the current political and military situation in Syria and abroad, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Iraqi Judicial Reforms Include Removal of Chief Justice Amendments and changes to laws on the books from the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein regime and the American occupation are shaking up the Iraqi judicial system, reports Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Palestinian Factions Silent On Gaza-West Bank Divide Israel's separation of Gaza from the West Bank has been so successful that the main Palestinian factions no longer ask for freedom of movement between the two enclaves, Daoud Kuttab writes. Palestine
Meridor Saddened by Likud's 'Ultra-Nationalist' Turn Dan Meridor, a former "prince” of the Likud Party, comments to Mazal Mualem on the right-wing turn in the Likud Party and his doubts regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to lead an important diplomatic process. Israel
Iraqi Kurdistan Region Slammed For Violating Press Freedoms A new report by Human Rights Watch has criticized the government in Kurdistan for what it calls “serious violations” of freedom of speech, as a draft law would make it illegal for journalists to insult politicians, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Israeli Officials Consider 'Point of No Return' With Iran Nadav Eyal looks at the decisions facing both the United States and Israel should the forthcoming round of nuclear negotiations with Iran fail. Israel
Kerry Calls for 'Negotiated Outcome' in Syria Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of the upcoming visits by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry to the Middle East, Kerry’s call for a negotiated outcome in Syria and Tunisia’s worsening crisis. Syria
Kerry Puts Middle East First Geoffrey Aronson writes that, in the absence of a strategy for dealing with the Middle East, seeking advice from leaders in the region can be compared to listening to the inmates in an insane asylum, where useful advice is in short supply. Palestine
Turkey's Syria Predicament Cengiz Candar writes that Turkey cannot escape the consequences of the civil war in Syria. Syria
Hunger Striker Samer Issawi Invisible to Israeli Society Shlomi Eldar wonders about the political impact of Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi's hunger strike, going on for more than 200 days. Palestine
Burgas Is the Latest Chapter In US-Hezbollah 'Spy Wars' Hezbollah has recently been implicated in last summer’s Burgas bombing, a step that Jean Aziz describes as another installment in the "spy wars" between the Lebanese Shiite group and Washington. Israel
