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
Baghdad increases pressure on KRG with budget cut By cutting the Kurdistan region’s share of the national budget for 2018, the Iraqi central government continues to implement punitive measures in response to the Kurdish independence referendum. Iraq
Militias crack down on social, cultural life in Libya A crack down on comic books and video games has pushed militias and civil society farther away from each other, prompting the youth to think about fleeing the country. Libya
Sinai jihadis seek to sabotage Palestinian reconciliation Growing cooperation between Hamas and the Egyptian government is making life more difficult for Islamic State affiliate Wilayat Sinai by draining its sources of support. Palestine
Jordan, PA unite forces with Israel to fight natural disasters Israel, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority and other countries participated in a two-day firefighting exercise to build a regional disaster response system, yet some Palestinians criticized the drills as increasing normalization with Israel. Palestine
Jordan's tale of two cities: The mystery of 'new Amman' Jordanians have been unsure what to make of the planned city of “new Amman,” with a white elephant being a distinct possibility. Jordan
Will this Palestinian organization weather funding storm? The Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Secretariat decided to defund a Palestinian women’s organization on charges of incitement against Israel. Palestine
Are Hamas drones really a threat to Israel? Hamas is highly motivated to develop its drone capabilities, according to an urgent report by Israel's state comptroller. Palestine
Will end of land-for-pay program kill Palestinian reconciliation? The announced suspension of the distribution of government-owned land in lieu of government salaries in Gaza is raising questions about the decision's impact on the reconciliation. Palestine
How Eastern Ghouta residents survive siege The 350,000 residents of Eastern Ghouta continue to live under the siege, where aid is never enough and the semi-autonomous way to survive the blockage was halted due to water shortage and contamination. Syria
How Riyadh orchestrated its own downfall in Lebanon Saudi Arabia's policy shift toward Lebanon in trying to curb Hezbollah's power has failed miserably and made Saad Hariri the most popular Lebanese leader. Saudi Arabia
US support for Saudi war in Yemen soars under Trump The Defense Department more than doubled US refueling support for Saudi Arabia’s campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen over the past year amid rising congressional opposition. Saudi Arabia
Egypt’s Coptic heritage jeopardized due to lack of funds Cairo’s Coptic Museum has 18,000 icons, carved stones, frescoes and manuscripts in its 27 halls — but few know about it. Egypt
