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
In game of Israeli-Palestinian politics, athletes lose big Israeli and Arab politicians have long turned sports competitions into political battlegrounds, at the expense of the athletes. Palestine
Jordan photo exhibition displays hope for victims of war, violence A recent photo exhibition showed victims of war and violence during their treatment at the Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Amman and post-reconstructive surgery. Iraq
House advances diluted bill cutting Palestinian aid Original supporters of the Taylor Force Act say pushback from Democrats and the Trump administration has watered down their legislation. Palestine
Egypt’s Copts decry recent spate of church closings Egypt's Coptic Christians say they are under attack by both extremists and the Egyptian government. Egypt
Turkey says citizens at risk as IS fighters leave Raqqa Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says a reported deal in which Kurdish-led forces allowed hundreds of jihadis to leave the Syrian city puts Turks in danger. Syria
Turkish defense industry targeting South Asian markets Domestic demand for Turkey's defense products is reaching the saturation point, and Ankara has its eye on South Asia as the most lucrative potential market. Turkey
Iran: Hariri sought to mediate between Tehran, Riyadh Iran’s president strongly criticized Saudi Arabia over its reported role in the Lebanese prime minister’s resignation. Saudi Arabia
Iranian authorities scramble to deal with quake aftermath Al-Monitor travels to the towns of western Iran, where a 7.3 magnitude earthquake has left at least 452 dead and many more homeless. Iran
Putin-Trump statement on Syria contradicts Erdogan’s calculations A joint statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump that there is no military solution in Syria infuriated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Syria
Israel in no hurry to enter Saudi-Lebanese fray Israel is not at all interested in opening a front against Hezbollah just to please Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Will Islamic Jihad defy Hamas to attack Israel? Palestinian Islamic Jihad says it is planning to avenge the deaths of members killed in a tunnel destroyed by Israel. Palestine
Border crossings deepen Baghdad-Erbil conflict Baghdad insists on taking control of the Kurdistan Region's border crossings with Turkey and Iran, while authorities in Erbil refuse to hand them over to Baghdad. Iraq
