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 Parliament Rejects Draft Cybercrime Bill The Iraqi parliament has voted to reject a law regulating cybercrime, after opponents claimed that it infringed on citizens’ freedoms, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Shifts Investment Approach The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is shifting its investment and development focus from housing to tourism, agriculture and other industry, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Israel's Shas Party at Crossroads The Shas Party has an opportunity to rekindle its traditional moderate vision of Judaism, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Hezbollah, Part 1: Origins and Challenges Mohammad Harfoush looks at Hezbollah, one of Lebanon’s most polarizing organizations, in part one of a survey of the factors that led to the movement's formation and its present status in Lebanese society and politics. Lebanon
Why Is Obama Rushing to Israel? It is hard to believe that the announcement of the US presidential visit to Israel isn't timed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's negotiations on a new government, writes Akiva Eldar. Palestine
Ramallah Wages War on Cart Sellers Palestinian Authority police have evicted cart sellers from the streets of Ramallah to improve the city's look, angering vendors who now have no source of income, Linah Alsaafin reports. Palestine
North African Religious Leaders Fight Fanaticism in Sahel North African religious leaders have convened in Algeria to discuss ways to resist fanaticism in the Sahel region, writes Kaci Racelma. North Africa
Obama Visit to Israel an Opportunity US President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to Israel is an opportunity for a new start in US policy in the region, writes Clovis Maksoud. Palestine
Tunisians Protest Killing Of Opposition Leader Nafeesa Syeed reports on the political reactions and protests in response to the killing of opposition leader Chokri Belaid, head of the Democratic Patriots Party. [Updated Feb. 7] Tunisia
New Israeli Knesset Prepares for Political Battle Plenty of hugs and kisses were exchanged on the first day of the newly sworn-in Knesset, yet the gaiety will be short lived as the battles will soon commence, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Can the IDF Absorb The Ultra-Orthodox? Alon Ben David examines the politics of equally sharing the burden of military service, a winning slogan in the recent election. Israel
Fatah-Hamas Reconciliation Would Be a Reset for PLO The PLO has gone through a number of changes throughout its history, and if Hamas and Fatah agree on a reconciliation deal, it'll be set for another revamp, Daoud Kuttab writes. Palestine
