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
Life Continues in Damascus Despite Surrounding Conflict As the Syrian conflict nears its third year, Damascus remains largely detached from its rural surroundings, writes Nasser Chararah. Lebanon
Car Bomb at Syrian Border Kills 13 Tulin Daloglu reports on the latest car bombing on the Syria-Turkey border, which killed 13 people, just 10 days after the US Embassy in Ankara was attacked by a suicide bomber. Syria
Kadima Leader Shaul Mofaz: 'Abu Mazen Is Our Partner' Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz explains in an interview with Mazal Mualem that he is gearing up to re-launch his diplomatic plan for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Palestine
PA Employees in Gaza Key to Reconciliation The return of the Palestinian Authority to work in Gaza may be a tentative step in reconciliation efforts between Hamas and the PA, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Iraq Tackles Health Care Reform Iraq is considering a new health-care initiative in the face of criticism that only half of the current budget is received by the Ministry of Health, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
The Campaign to Save New York's 'Little Syria' Todd Fine outlines the campaign to save what's left of the historic "Little Syria" neighborhood on Washington Street in New York City. Syria
Battle Over Iraq War Lives in Syria Debates about whether the US should commit troops to aid opposition forces fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has roots in debates over US policy toward both Iraq and Vietnam, writes Geoffrey Aronson. Iraq
Questions Obama Didn't Answer The questions that US President Barack Obama chose not to answer in a recent interview with Milliyet offer clues about potential troubles ahead in US-Turkish relations, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey
Islamic Jihad: Yes to PLO, No to PA Islamic Jihad has expressed its willingness to join a renewed PLO, but has insisted it will not participate in elections or Palestinian governments, writes Daoud Kuttab. Palestine
Week in Review: US Resets Diplomacy in Middle East Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of a newly assertive US diplomacy toward the peace process, Iran and Syria. Syria
Tunisia on Edge as Protests Continue Mischa Benoit-Lavelle reports from Tunis that Tunisia’s Ministry of Interior is under scrutiny following the killing of leftist politician Chokri Belaid. Tunisia
Tzipi Livni Flirts With Role In Netanyahu’s New Government Hatenua leader Tzipi Livni is hinting that she is moving closer to Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government, despite her vicious attacks on him in the campaign, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
