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
Fear of Extremism Grows in Maghreb Nassif Hitti comments on regional concerns about the rise of extremism following developments in Mali. Lebanon
What Does Sierra Murder Say About Turkey? Tulin Daloglu takes a look at Turkish society's responses to the recent murder of American Sarai Sierra. Turkey
Obama's Post-Election Pivot on Syria Geoffrey Aronson describes the implications of President Barack Obama applying the "Congo Standard" for intervention in Syria. Syria
Obama’s Visit to Israel a Chance To Reset US-Israel Ties Ben Caspit writes that President Barack Obama's visit to Israel will remind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that diplomacy between Israel and the Palestinians is still at the top of the US agenda. Palestine
Hezbollah Faces PressureAfter Bulgaria Indictment Ali Hashem examines responses in Lebanon and abroad to Bulgaria's accusations against Hezbollah for the Burgas bombing. Lebanon
Pass the Tofu and Hold the Kebabs:Muslims Embrace Vegetarianism Ruqaya Izzidien writes that with the production of meat as it is today, there are plenty of of good reasons for Muslims to cut down on meat, or even go vegetarian, that stem from Islamic history, Quranic injunctions and problems afflicting the modern food industry. Pan Arab
Iraq's Constitutional Crisis Iraq has come far since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, but the country is still plagued by crises that are social as well as political in nature, writes Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Hezbollah: Israeli Strike On Syria Was Also a Strike at Iran Tensions in Lebanon and the region are high amid fears that the Syrian crisis will spread, writes Nasser Chararah. Israel
Iraq’s Ports Record Highest-Ever Returns Iraq’s ports are enjoying an unprecedented period of prosperity and the Iraqi government is close to opening a new container port in the south, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
The Death of Cinema in Gaza As Islamist leaders in Gaza maintain a tight grip on the country’s cultural scene, Gazans themselves are divided in their views on cinema, writes Asmaa al-Ghoul. Palestine
Mauritania Ready to Join Fight Against Sahel Extremism In reaction to extremist and terrorist activity that threatens to spill across its borders from Mali, the Mauritanian government is joining other regional authorities in the fight against militant radicals, writes Kaci Racelma. Algeria
Erdogan on Brussels-Shanghai Pendulum Cengiz Çandar writes that it is fine for Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to pursue membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but not at the expense of EU membership. Turkey
