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
Can Egypt afford to defy Trump in support of Gaza? Egypt is walking a tightrope as it tries to balance its support for Palestinians with its common interests with Washington and its security and economic ties to Israel. Saudi Arabia
Former IDF head spooks Israel's entire political spectrum Culture Minister Miri Regev's attacks on former IDF chief of staff reflect wide and growing concerns that the popular Benny Gantz will shake up the political system. Israel
How Netanyahu outdid his rivals, again Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the expert in exploiting security threats for political means, which is what he did in his speech after the resignation of Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Palestine
Airbnb battle threatens Israeli tourism industry Tourism Minister Yariv Levin is willing to sacrifice Israel's tourism industry for the sake of his pro-settlement ideology and the fight against the boycott movement. Palestine
Families of slain US soldiers sue Jordan in legal first The families of three Green Berets slain at King Faisal Air Base in 2016 have sued Jordan, alleging that the government tried to cover up the incident. Jordan
Iran factory workers demand wages as strike enters 16th day Demands by striking workers at a troubled sugar plant in Iran's southwest remain unfulfilled, with several protest leaders being kept in police custody. Iran
Turkish paper reveals new details on Khashoggi killing The online journal Haberturk provides more details on recordings inside the Saudi Consulate when Jamal Khashoggi was killed, including quotes from one the man who put on the journalist's clothes in hopes of creating a diversion. Saudi Arabia
Trump gives MBS a pass on journalist's killing President Trump's bizarre statement on the murder of Jamal Khashoggi made clear that he would not be holding Crown Prince Mohammed responsible for the journalist's death. Saudi Arabia
Have relations between Turkey and Europe reached a turning point? The decision by the European Court of Human Rights on a jailed Kurdish leader might be marking a turning point in ties between Turkey and the European Union. Turkey
