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
How Cairo plans to solve its street vendor problem Gov. Atef Abdel Hamid supports an innovative idea to deal with the suffocating spread of vendors in Cairo’s streets and the resulting violent clashes with police. Egypt
New UN Libya envoy faces long road to peace The newly appointed UN envoy to Libya, Ghassan Salame, must review all previous steps and policies his predecessors made to avoid repeating their mistakes as the war and chaos continue to weigh heavily on Libya. Libya
Abbas' Gaza sanctions fit into peace project Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' increasing pressure on Hamas in the Gaza Strip is widely seen as less about reconciliation and more as a step toward a regional settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Palestine
The real reason Hamas is flirting with dismissed Fatah leader Amid reports about Hamas meeting with dismissed Fatah leader and former opponent Mohammed Dahlan in Cairo, questions arise about the lack of transparency and the results of these meetings. United Arab Emirates
Washington talks fail to secure breakthrough in Qatar crisis Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has been huddling with Gulf diplomats all week, to no avail. Legacy: Gulf
Corker hold puts Saudi arms deal at risk Congressional aides say the Senate Foreign Relations chairman’s threat to block arms sales to the Gulf until the Qatar crisis is resolved could have a wide-ranging impact. Saudi Arabia
French shift on Syria could open doors in Russia France’s newly elected president has indicated he is open to talks that could leave Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power, bringing the country closer to Russia’s stance. Saudi Arabia
Citing US threat, Iran parliament looks to boost IRGC budget Iran’s parliament seeks to increase the military budget for the IRGC in response to the new policies of the Trump administration. United States
Financial watchdog drama provides ammunition for Iran's hard-liners While hailed by pro-Reform media outlets, the FATF’s decision to extend its temporary suspension of countermeasures on Iran has provided ammunition for hard-liners in Tehran. Iran
Germany says Hamburg no place for Erdogan rally as G-20 meets As Turkish-German tension continues to simmer, Germany has denied the Turkish president's request for a rally on the sidelines of the G-20 summit and a German former speaker of the European Parliament calls for an outright ban on pro-Erdogan rallies in Germany. Turkey
Gaza's children suffer as Hamas, PA continue conflict Five Israeli doctors discuss their recent visit to Gaza, where disease is rampant, medication is disappearing and medical patients have given up hope. Palestine
Justice minister's hunt for Israeli NGO not about justice Despite her lack of authority to even suggest it, Israel’s Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked is getting the investigation into Breaking the Silence spokesperson Dean Issacharoff she demanded. Palestine
