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
Israel Boycotts UN Report On Settlements Akiva Eldar asks whether Israel’s continuous boycott of international investigation commissions really serves its best interests. Palestine
Morsi and Ahmadinejad Can Relate at OIC Summit Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi will compare notes at the summit of Organization of Islamic Countries in Cairo. Lebanon
Each Side of Syrian Conflict Claims Israeli Strike in Its Favor Following the Israeli aerial attacks on Syria, each side of the Syrian crisis questions the intentions behind the seemingly spontaneous offensive by their southern neighbor, writes Jean Aziz. Israel
Turkey Steps Up Criticism of Israel Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reacted fiercely to Israel’s attack on a Syrian military convoy, accusing Israel of conducting “state terror," writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Lebanon’s Sunnis Feel Threatened Following Arsal Ambush Following the conflict in the town of Arsal, the doubt and distrust between Sunni and Shiite political groups in Lebanon have spread to the military, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Salafists Feel Betrayed By Hamas' Moderate Stance Since Hamas took power in 2006, Salafists in Palestine have been disappointed by its reluctance to impose an Islamic emirate, writes Adnan Abu Amer. Palestine
Kirkuk Shines Spotlight On Turkey’s Iraq Policy The recent terrorist bombings in Kirkuk have highlighted Turkey’s interest in protecting the Turkmen community there, while its strong relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government strain its ties with Baghdad, writes Ilnur Cevik. Turkey
Does Turkey Seek to EndBloodshed or Oust Assad? Semih Idiz writes that in his offer to talk with the Syrian government, Mouaz al-Khatib, head of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, has presented Ankara with a choice that has ethical and moral implications. Turkey
Sunni Sheikh Takes Larger Role In Protests Against Maliki Sheikh Abdul Malik al-Saadi has risen over the last two decades from a little-known cleric opposed to the rule of Saddam Hussein to one of Iraq’s most prominent Sunni religious leaders, writes Ali Abel Sadah. Iraq
Anger Flares in Gaza After Deadly House Fire An official investigation into last Thursday's house fire that killed a family of six absolved the Hamas government of responsibility, enraging the victims' relatives, Mohammed Suliman reports. Palestine
Textbook Study Debunks Myth of Palestinian Incitement A major study of Israeli and Palestinian schoolbooks found that Palestinian children are not incited to hate, contrary to popular belief, reports Dalia Hatuqa. Palestine
Dear Minister Davutoglu, Please Don't Stir Up War Shlomi Eldar writes a personal letter to Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, who recently wondered publicly why Assad didn’t respond to the attack on Syria attributed to Israel. Israel
