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
Are All ‘Turks’ Really Turks? Mustafa Akyol considers how Turkish identity and citizenship will be defined in the next Turkish constitution. Turkey
The New Line on the State of Palestine Passport Daoud Kuttab discusses the implications of the State of Palestine passports. Palestine
Iraq Central Bank Boosts Gold Reserves The Iraqi Central Bank has adopted a policy of buying gold for its central reserve at a time when gold prices are at an all-time high, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Shimon Peres: Frustration and Disappointment with Netanyahu In recent years, President Shimon Peres kept on believing that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would adhere to his vision of peace, while the Prime Minister steps away from his Bar Ilan speech and gets closer to his right wing electorate, writes Mazal Mualem. Palestine
Is Hamas Laying a Trap For Fatah in West Bank? The rally in support of Fatah in Gaza last week does not necessarily mean reconciliation; it might be a sign of Hamas' ambitions in the West Bank, writes Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
Israel's 'Forgotten Voters' Key To Center-Left Race Against Bibi In order to create a credible opponent to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's center-left parties must reach out to the "forgotten" voters: Israeli Arabs, women and the Russian immigrants, writes Akiva Eldar. Israel
Syrian Refugee Wave Washes Over Egypt The Syrian refugee crisis has spilled over into countries farther from the fighting, as tens of thousands seek refuge in Egypt and other North African countries, Ben Gittleson reports from Cairo. Egypt
Al-Monitor Launches Iraq Pulse Al-Monitor this week launched the Iraq Pulse, featuring original reporting and commentary from prominent reporters and analysts inside Iraq. Iraq
Lebanon and the FutureOf 'Greater Syria' One consequence of the Syrian crisis may be the end of its "greater Syria" approach to Lebanon, writes Mohammad Harfoush. Lebanon
Dealing with Ocalan Not Enough For Erdogan Kadri Gursel writes that whether the Turkish government’s intention is to stall for time with Ocalan to secure another violence-free election period or whether it is truly an intention to solve the Kurdish issue, the task of the AKP is a formidable one. Turkey
Turkey-Israel-Cyprus Triangle And Mediterranean Gas Tulin Daloglu writes that Israel’s strategic partnership with the Republic of Cyprus, including over Mediterranean gas fields, is yet another complication in Israeli-Turkish relations. Turkey
