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
Saudi, UAE involvement in eastern Yemen unsettles Oman Reports that Saudi Arabia is planning to militarize its presence in Yemen’s easternmost governorate have raised security concerns in neighboring Oman. Saudi Arabia
Advancing separatists could restore South Yemen There are now two rebellions against the internationally recognized government of Yemen: one by the Houthis in the north and a second by secessionists in the south who now have control of Aden. Saudi Arabia
Ankara-Moscow dealings still tangled as Idlib smoke clears Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin have reportedly agreed to accelerate Turkey's deployment into Idlib a day after its convoy was struck by a car bomb. Syria
Israeli Labor chief’s new diplomatic plan Zionist Camp head Avi Gabbay relaunches right-left debate by planning to present at the party convention a diplomatic program of separation from the Palestinians. Palestine
Protests against compulsory hijab trigger debate in Iran A protest by Iranian women against rules mandating hijab have divided citizens. Iran
Ankara uses Afrin campaign to showcase Turkish-made weapons Amid snubs by Western arms suppliers, leaders in Ankara are eager to highlight progress in the Turkish defense industry during the military offensive on Afrin. Turkey
Is Israel prepping its public for third Lebanon war? Israel is multiplying its diplomatic efforts against Hezbollah’s missile project, while examining possibilities of preventive strikes. Israel
Can Europe save the Palestinian Authority? Threats by President Donald Trump to cut assistance to the Palestinians could lead to opening the door to the European Union in the diplomatic as well as economic realm of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Abbas reaches out to Europeans to help rebuild negotiations framework Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on EU member states to recognize the State of Palestine, as the Palestinian Authority and its supporters work to develop a new negotiations formula. Palestine
Is Hamas setting up military force in Golan Heights? Israel has accused Hamas of working on setting up a military force in the Syrian Golan Heights at the request of Iran. Palestine
Culture Alert: Art speaks to power in February February exhibitions in the Middle East offer satirical and fantastic looks at politics and society, clearly demonstrating that the fighting spirit in the arts is far from being defeated by the powers that be. Egypt
Iraq takes custody of officials wanted in corruption probes Iraq is taking steps to recover funds and arrest those accused of corruption by coordinating actions with foreign countries and Interpol. Iraq
