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 Keeps Palestinian Authority on Life Support Adnan Abu Amer examines Israel's attitudes and policies toward the Palestinian Authority, and its interest in keeping the PA weakened but alive. Palestine
Obama Speech Suggests Modest Foreign Agenda for Second Term Judging from his comments in his second inaugural address, Barack Obama’s foreign policy over the next four years will not be particularly ambitious, including in the Middle East. Israel
The Unnatural Alliance Of Likud-Beiteinu The merger of the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu parties seems an uneasy fit, writes Lily Galili. Israel
Iran Strengthens Ties To Palestinian Islamic Jihad Iran has deepened its relationship with Islamic Jihad while maintaining good ties with Hamas, writes Abeer Ayyoub. Palestine
Hamas Budget a Small Step Toward Transparency The Hamas government’s publication of a budget is encouraging, yet only a small step on the road to achieving an acceptable level of transparency, competence and professionalism, writes Omar Shaban. Palestine
Iraqi Government Seeks Control Over Central Bank Some speculate that the deputy governor of Iraq’s central bank’s arrest for embezzlement is an attempt by the government to expand its control of the financial body, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Iraqi Kurds Endure Seven Years Of Waiting for New Constitution Negotiations continue on a draft new constitution for the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which would have the president be selected by the parliament, rather than directly elected by the people, reports Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
US Spared Hard Choices in Egypt Geoffrey Aronson analyzes how Washington can best manage US-Egypt relations given the challenges of dealing with President Mohammed Morsi’s government. Egypt
Lebanese Living in UAE Fear Deportation Due to alleged security concerns, the United Arab Emirates has adopted a policy of deporting many of the nation’s Lebanese expatriates, causing both economic and emotional hardship, writes Nasser Chararah. United Arab Emirates
Birand Represented Turkish Journalism at Its Best Cengiz Candar comments on the funeral and career of immortal journalist Mehmet Ali Birand. Turkey
Mehmet Ali Birand, Icon of Turkish Journalism Kadri Gürsel reflects on the life and career of Mehmet Ali Birand, who passed away on Jan. 17, 2013. Turkey
Iraqi Sectarian Politics Contribute To Mismanaged Economy Sectarian politics has limited Iraq's ability to benefit from qualified economists and financial specialists in top government positions, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
