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
In Erdogan’s Turkey, Censorship Finds Fertile Ground Censorship in Turkey is on the rise, raising questions about the state of Turkish democracy, writes Sibel Utku Bila. Turkey
Israeli College in West Bank a Setback For Two-State Solution Dalia Hatuqa analyzes the consequences of Israel accrediting Ariel University in the occupied West Bank with official university status. Palestine
Who Is Behind Paris PKK Murders? Kadri Gursel speculates on whether the murders of three PKK activists in Paris might be linked to the recent peace initiative between Ankara and the PKK, and the "regionalization" of the Kurdish issue in Turkey, Syria and Iraq. Turkey
Syrian Armed Groups Among Those Displaced in Lebanon Hundreds of thousands of Syrians are reportedly in Lebanon, and their presence is having a destabilizing effect on the country, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
KRG Oil Sales to Turkey Inflame Tensions with Baghdad Baghdad has threatened legal action in response to the Kurdistan Regional Government's decision to export oil to Turkey, while Washington stands by, writes Semih Idiz. Iraq
Talks With Ocalan Offer Slim Hope for Turkey-PKK Deal Tulin Daloglu writes that Ankara's decision to "talk" with imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan offers limited prospects for an agreement on the Kurdish question in Turkey. Turkey
Iran Not a Priority For Most Israeli Voters Israeli voters are more concerned about domestic politics than the threat from Iran, Meir Javedanfar explains. Israel
Netanyahu's Real Headache Will Begin Day After Elections Once the elections are over, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have to choose whether to create a narrow coalition with the ultra-Orthodox, or try to persuade reluctant center-left parties to join a wider coalition, writes Nadav Perry. Israel
Iraqi Struggle for Secular Democracy Losing Ground Ali Abdel Sadah analyzes the struggles of secular democrats in Iraq against Islamic sectarian politics. Iraq
Iraqi Kurdistan Seeks Independence in Oil Exports Omar al-Shaher reports on the Kurdistan Region's decision to export oil through Turkey as escalating tensions between Baghdad and Erbil. Iraq
Palestinian Reconciliation: Three Tests Daoud Kuttab writes that there are three key indicators that will prove whether Hamas and Fatah are serious about reconciliation. Palestine
President Morsi Urges Unity for Palestine Clovis Maksoud writes that Cairo's hosting of the Hamas and Fatah leadership is a sign that Egypt takes Palestinian unity seriously, even if Palestinian leaders seem to be in no hurry. Lebanon
