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
KRG Fails to Combat Violence Against Women in Kurdistan Despite efforts by the Kurdistan Regional Government to reduce violence against women, figures recently made public show that there has been little improvement, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Netanyahu, Lapid and Syria The reported Israeli attack on an arms convoy in Syria plays into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hands to form a government with Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid and the ultra-Orthodox parties, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Prince Muqrin and the Question Of Saudi Succession The appointment by Saudi King Abdullah of his half-brother Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz to the key position of second deputy prime minister raises new questions about who will succeed the Saudi monarch and the next generation of Saudi rulers, writes Thomas Lippman. Saudi Arabia
Algeria a Complex Ally In War Against al-Qaeda The French intervention in Mali will push Algeria off the fence in dealing with terrorism in Mali and the region, writes Bruce Riedel. Algeria
Turkey Cannot Defend Record On Press Freedom Kadri Gursel writes that by criminalizing any press article that seems sympathetic to the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK), the Turkish government worsens its image as a leading violator of press freedom. Turkey
Terrorist Attack Linked To Turkey’s Syria Policies Kadri Gursel argues that Revolutionary Peoples’ Liberation Party-Front [DHKP-C] suicide bombing at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara is a response to Turkey’s policies in Syria. Turkey
US Misses the Point on Egypt, Morsi The government of President Mohammed Morsi continues to violate the rule of law and thereby is contributing to a cycle of violence, writes Sara Khorshid from Cairo. Egypt
Bin Laden Relative Arrested In Turkey Before Bombing While there's no connection between the arrest of Osama bin Laden’s son-in-law, Suleiman Abu Gheith, days before the suicide bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, and the bombing itself, both incidents put the focus on Turkey’s role in combating terrorism, reports Tulin Daloglu. Turkey
Week in Review: Turkey Terror Attack; Syria Political Solution Al-Monitor’s coverage and analysis of the terrorist attack on the US embassy in Turkey and the possibility of a new opening for a political solution to the Syrian crisis. Syria
Turkish Suicide Bomber Did Not Act Alone Semih Idiz ponders some of the questions about the terrorist attack on the US embassy in Ankara, such as who provided the explosives and was there any support from outside Turkey? Turkey
UN Panel Condemns Israeli Settlements Clovis Maksoud argues that Israel must be recognized as an occupying power in the West Bank and Gaza as a prelude to meaningful negotiations. Palestine
Israel Rewrites Rules of Game To Deal With Syria Prime Minister Netanyahu is grappling with the profound strategic challenges posed by the potential disintegration of Syria, including dealing with chemical weapons and the prospects for a regional conflict, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
