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
Family feud: Bibi's brother-in-law slams current government In an interview with Al-Monitor, Hagai Ben-Artzi, the brother of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, dismissed the current Israeli government as insufficiently right. Israel
Saudi war drags on in Yemen While Saudi Arabia continues military operations in Yemen through allied forces, it could face severe political risks. Saudi Arabia
Will Iran get its billions back? Iranian officials have issued contradictory statements about the size of Iran's blocked foreign reserves. Iran
Fabius takes over Tehran The trip by the French foreign minister to Iran was the first in 17 years and signals deeper economic cooperation with Iran after the nuclear deal. Iran
Palestinian dead become Israeli bargaining chip Israel buries bodies of Palestinian dead in what is known as the “Cemetery of Numbers," a poorly managed site where many bodies reportedly have been lost mainly due to negligence. Palestine
Excavations reveal destruction of Second Temple For archaeologists excavating near Temple Mount, every find helps to clear the mystery surrounding what happened at the time of Jerusalem’s destruction. Israel
Lobbying 2015: Saudis seek Iran deal payoff Gravely concerned by the nuclear deal with Iran, Saudi Arabia is relying on its $3.7 million-a-year PR and lobbying operation to leverage it for more US commitments instead of seeking to sabotage it. Saudi Arabia
Lobbying 2015: Qatar crawls in from the cold Qatar is coming in from the cold in Washington as the gas-rich emirate falls into line with its Gulf neighbors’ stance against rebellious Islamist. Qatar
Lobbying 2015: Morocco courts US backing in Sahara dispute Morocco is spending upwards of $3 million a year to convince US politicians – including presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton – to back its claims over the disputed Western Sahara. So far, it’s working. Morocco
Lobbying 2015: US turns page on Bahrain's crackdown US military aid to the tiny Gulf kingdom of Bahrain is flowing again after its strong anti-Islamic State stance and pricey PR push. Bahrain
Lobbying 2015: Egypt lobbies itself back into America's good graces Congress and the State Department are willing to overlook ongoing human rights abuses in Egypt as Abdel Fatah al-Sisi takes on the Islamic State and keeps the peace with Israel. Egypt
Lobbying 2015: US courts aloof Algeria in terror fight Algeria, the desert giant at the crossroads of North Africa, is building ever-closer counterterrorism ties with the United States but is losing out to its historic rival Morocco in the disputed Western Sahara. Algeria
