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
Syria's Wealthy Refugees Wait Out War in Beirut Many affluent Syrians who have escaped the violence sweeping their country have temporarily settled in Beirut, given its proximity to Syria and opulent lifestyle, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Most Iraqis Unaware Of Insurance Rights While the Iraqi government provides insurance for a variety of claims to all its citizens, many are ill-informed or simply unaware of their rights, reports Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Israel Concerned For Jordan's Stability Israel fears that a jihadist victory in Syria could mean the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is next, writes Alon Ben David. Israel
Erdogan Seeks Kurdish AlliesFor New Turkish Constitution Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is seeking allies to support a new Turkish constitution, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Gaza Press Freedom Shrivels Amid Journalist Persecution Gaza's journalists are increasingly subject to arrest and intimidation under Hamas, reports Hazem Balousha. Palestine
Gaza Schools Begin Teaching Hebrew Mohammed Suliman looks at the reasons behind and the reactions to Hamas' decision to include Hebrew classes in the 2013 school curriculum. Palestine
The Strategic Bargain Of Israel-Hezbollah Deterrence Israel’s strike against the Syrian convoy on Jan. 30 was not to escalate the conflict with Damascus, but to contain it, while maintaining deterrence between Israeli forces and Hezbollah, writes Jean-Loup Samaan. Israel
Avigdor Liberman's Moment of Truth On the eve of his trial, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman will probably leave politics and return to the business world if convicted; if acquitted, he will resume his quest to become the Israeli right's leader, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
Erdogan's Syria Policy: Wrong from the Start Tulin Daloglu examines the origins of the Erdogan government's troubled Syria policies. Turkey
Israel Eases Economic Siege of Gaza Shlomi Eldar writes that the economic stranglehold failed to take down the Hamas government, and it may yet be the economy that restores broken bridges between the two peoples. Palestine
Netanyahu Weighs Deal Or No Deal With Palestinians Will Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu initiate negotiations with the Palestinians on an interim agreement, as Mazal Mualem predicts, or, as suggested by Akiva Eldar, stick to the claim that there is no partner on the other side? Palestine
Arrests, Resignations Plague Turkish Armed Forces Ilnur Cevik writes that arrests, trials and resignations are undermining the efficiency of the Turkish Armed Forces. Turkey
