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
The Transformation of Ocalan Cengiz Candar writes that officials were once portraying Abdullah Ocalan as the “worst villain” and “greatest Satan,” but in the first days of 2013 Ocalan appears to have become “No. 1 partner” in efforts to resolve Turkey’s No. 1 problem. Turkey
Assad Speech Reportedly to Propose Settlement Initiative for Syria Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad reportedly will soon, in coming days, offer a new proposal to resolve the crisis in Syria, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Afghan Water Infrastructure Threatens Iran, Regional Stability Afghanistan has not yet built the needed infrastructure to utilize and reserve its water, a source of tension with its neighbors, writes Fatehmeh Aman. Iran
Christians of the Levant Accuse France of Plotting to Displace Them As the Syrian opposition becomes more and more Islamic, Christians of the Levant fear for their future and have accused France of plotting to displace them, writes Jean Aziz. Lebanon
Status of Electricity in Jerusalem: It's Complicated The unique problems of the Jerusalem District Electricity Co. mirror the wider conflict between Palestine and Israel, writes Daoud Kuttab. Palestine
Israeli Elections Elicit Little Hope for Change Elections in Israel are two weeks away, but the electorate shows little sign of interest in substantive issues, writes Yossi Melman. Israel
Sadr Allies With Sunnis in Challenge To Maliki Muqtada Sadr has allied with Sunnis opposed to Prime Minister Maliki in order to help oust him from power, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Israeli-Palestinian Security Ties Fail as They Succeed for PA Geoffrey Aronson reports on how cooperation between IDF and Palestinian security forces undermines Palestinian sovereignty in the West bank. Palestine
Will Israel Support a Compromise on Iran's Nuclear Program? Israeli officials are considering what might be the acceptable terms for Jerusalem if there is a new US-led diplomatic initiative with Tehran on Iran's nuclear program, writes Ben Caspit. Israel
Turkey's Guernica The Turkish military's attack on the Kurdish town of Uludere (Roboski in Turkish), in which 34 children were killed, evokes memories of the Spanish attack on the Basque town of Guernica in 1937, writes Cengiz Candar. Turkey
Iraqi Kurds Fear Rise of Military Threat From Baghdad As tensions between Baghdad and Erbil escalate, Abdel Hamid Zibari argues that Kurdish fears are not exaggerated and that the armament of Iraqi forces poses a serious threat to the Kurdish region. Iraq
Israel Deputy Chief of Staff Favors Air Power Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, a leading candidate for Israeli chief of staff, sees Operation Pillar of Defense as vindication of air power, writes Alon Ben David. Israel
