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
Hamas Imposes a Media Blackout Throughout Gaza Strip The decision to forbid local reporters in Gaza from working for Israeli media outlets will only deepen the sense of estrangement and alienation between Israelis and Palestinians, writes Shlomi Eldar. Palestine
Taking the Europeans Into Account The European Union, on its own, will not be able to “impose'' a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, argues Nadav Eyal. Israel
Israel's Center-Left Bloc Surrenders Without a Fight Israel's center-left parties have failed to unite, paving the way for Netanyahu to win a third tenure in the Prime Minister's office, argues Mazal Mualem. Israel
The Third Front in Turkey's 'Kurdish Problem' Kadri Gursel writes that Turkey may be supporting Salafi groups in northern Syria to prevent a third Kurdish front. Turkey
Demography Favors Rise of Israel's Right Demographic changes are strengthening Israel's right wing, writes Akiva Eldar. Israel
Arab States Must Forge a New Social Contract Nassif Hitti anticipates a "disordered order" in the region in 2013 and calls for a new social contract in Arab states. Lebanon
Whither Fatah? Daoud Kuttab speculates on the future of Fatah, which, despite its victory at the UN, is experiencing a crisis of leadership among Palestinians. Palestine
Hezbollah Weighs Its Options Nasser Chararah considers Hezbollah's options in dealing with Syria and a potential military strike on Iran. Lebanon
Balance Key in Iran, Iraq Ties The history of Iraq and Iran goes back centuries, but looking at their relationship today through just that lens would be a mistake, argues Mustafa al-Kadhimi. Iraq
Iraq's Central Bank a Political Battleground In the midst of ongoing political disputes within Iraq, the country’s central bank is facing a number of problems, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
Netanyahu’s Democracy Excludes Israel’s Arab Citizens Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu excludes Israel’s Arab citizens from the benefits of democracy, writes Antoine Shulhut. Palestine
Turkey Considers New 'Peace Process’ With PKK Mustafa Akyol analyzes the prospects for a new peace process using imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, an approach that failed two years ago. Turkey
