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
France-Turkey Relations Back On Track The announcement that France has lifted some roadblocks to Turkey’s membership in the European Union signals that relations between the two countries are on a more positive track, writes Semih Idiz. Turkey
Baghdad Bickers With Regions Over Iraqi Budget The yearly argument over the budget in Iraq has yet again come to the fore, as the parliament cannot decide on what proportion to give to each of Iraq’s regions, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
'Jordanian Option' Not an Option, Says Shimon Shamir Shimon Shamir, former Israeli ambassador to Jordan, tells Akiva Eldar why raising the possibility of Jordan annexing the West Bank is a slap in the face to Amman and runs counter to Israel's interests. Palestine
Dan Meridor: Struggle With Iran Will 'Shape the Middle East' Departing Likud Minister Dan Meridor tells Mazal Mualem about the squandered diplomatic opportunities with the Palestinians, and how the struggle with Iran will shape the Middle East. Israel
Algeria Amps Up Border Security Algeria is increasing efforts to stop the influx of armed extremist groups at traditionally porous border crossings following a series of terrorist attacks in the country, writes Kaci Racelma. Algeria
Obama's Visit to West Bank Clovis Maksoud suggests that the recent Israeli elections may have unexpected results for President Obama's visit. Lebanon
Militias Persevere in Modern Iraq Militias have been a feature of Iraqi politics and society since the founding of the modern state, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Turkey Committed, Frustrated With EU Process Tulin Daloglu writes that Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan could facilitate EU membership for Turkey by restraining from inflammatory rhetoric. Turkey
Israeli Siege Snuffing Out Gaza's Camel Industry Camel production in Gaza is suffering from a lack of available grazing lands and continued instability with Israel, Rami Almeghari reports. Palestine
Assassination Will Not Weaken Iran’s Support for Assad Meir Javedanfar speculates that the assassination of a senior member of the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (IRGC) will not sink Iran’s support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Lebanon
Israeli Military Cracks Down On Palestinian Tent Villages Palestinian activists continue to set up tent villages to protest Israel's land grab, and are often met with force by the Israeli army, Linah Alsaafin reports. Palestine
Erekat: No Settlement Freeze Means No Negotiations Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat explains that a freeze on Israeli settlement activity is a condition for resuming negotiations with Israel in an interview with Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
