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
Netanyahu's Choice: Lapid or Ultra-Orthodox Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must decide to build a new coalition from either the center or the right, with political consequences for either, writes Nadav Perry. Israel
Saudi Youth Question Traditional Approach to Islam Saudi youth are seeking Islamic guidance that speaks to the issues they face in their lives, writes Caryle Murphy. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s Shiites Fear Sectarian Realignment Susanne Gusten examines concerns within Turkey’s Shiite community about Ankara’s sectarian regional alliances. Turkey
Israeli Middle Class Only Dreams of the Good Life Idan Grinbaum analyzes who exactly makes up Israel's middle class and what economic challenges they face. Israel
Palestinian Revolutionary Seeks First Visit to Homeland Daoud Kuttab writes about the bid of Nayef Hawatmeh, leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), to visit the occupied Palestinian territories for the first time. Palestine
Palestinian Authority Faces Crisis Over Salaries The inability of the Palestinian Authority to pay its employees a salary for the last three months is beginning to have serious repercussions, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Hamas Pushes Islamization of Gaza Following Al-Aqsa University's decision last week to impose the jilbab on female students, Abeer Ayyoub reports on a wider push by authorities to press Islamic law on Gaza's society. Palestine
Declining Turkish Birth Rates Alarm Erdogan The Turkish government is putting forward new family-planning initiatives in the context of a declining birth rate and Prime Minister Recep Tayyep Erdogan's opposition to abortion, writes Sibel Utku Bila. Turkey
Lebanese Army Considers the Brink Ali Hashem presents a Lebanese Army officer's insights into the prospect of growing domestic instability and the Syrian conflict's spillover into Lebanon. Lebanon
Suicide Bombing Connected To Turkish Policies on Syria, Iran To the extent Turkey is active in Middle Eastern politics, especially in Syria, and is a party to confrontation with Iran, all the "terror exports" of the Middle East will be heading to the Turkish market, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey
Palestinian Education Methods Require Revamp Palestinian teaching methods are antiquated and in need of an upgrade to improve the quality of education, Rana Baker writes from Gaza. Palestine
Erdogan’s Constitutional Crisis Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s initiative to change Turkey’s constitution to support a presidential, rather than parliamentary, system, is encountering some opposition, writes Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
