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
Military audit confirms US tanks ended up with Iran-backed militias The US effort to assess Iraq’s military capabilities is plagued by weak oversight, an inspector general report found. Iraq
Erdogan escalates threats to attack Manbij Turkey’s president has promised to widen Turkey’s military offensive in Syria despite US warnings, insisting that the Americans haven't kept their agreement to get the Kurdish militants to withdraw from Manbij. Syria
Despite Ankara's lack of support, Turkish film wins big at Sundance The Turkish government has put private theater and movie productions in a chokehold through restrictions in financing and legal hurdles. Turkey
Iran’s Zarif: Nuclear deal only remaining Obama legacy Trump hasn't removed Iran’s foreign minister plays down the likelihood that the Trump administration will tear up the nuclear deal. United States
Iraqi Kurds maneuver to get closer to Iran Following the rupture caused by the Sept. 25 independence referendum, the Kurdistan Regional Government and Iran are moving to bolster ties. Iraq
Turkish voices increasingly calling for dialogue with Assad Developments in Syria could force Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to swallow his antipathy to President Bashar al-Assad and establish some level of contact with him, as a growing number of Turks believe. Syria
Gaza suffering makes Israeli headlines at last Following his regular modus operandi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has preferred so far to ignore the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Israel needs Abbas to solve Gaza crisis Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas could perhaps solve the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, but he would rather let Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu handle the terrible situation he created. Palestine
Solar-powered mosque answers prayers in West Bank Palestinians are making deep inroads into renewable energy and looking forward to much greater independence as more solar power projects pop up all the time. Palestine
Will Europe be there when Israel needs it? If the Israeli government expects the international community to heed the “serious threat” posed by Iranian activity in the region, it must be prepared to discuss the serious threat posed by Israeli activity in the Palestinian territories it occupies. Palestine
Palestinians turn to Turkey The Palestinians are hopeful that Turkey’s promises of increased financial aid will make up for the losses resulting from the United States reducing its aid to UNRWA. Palestine
Egypt’s political parties choose to forgo challenging Sisi Egyptians will find slim pickings on their presidential election ballots come March, leaving the relevance of political parties in question. Egypt
