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
Iranian civil aviation hit again as US sanctions return The reimposition of US sanctions is directly hitting civil aviation in Iran, dashing the nuclear deal’s promises of safer skies for Iranian passengers. United States
Turkey 'won’t be duped' by US in Syria Washington’s decision to place a bounty on the heads of the PKK leadership has been met with suspicion and derision in Ankara. Syria
Turkey's trigger finger grows itchy over US-Kurd relations Turkey is probing ways to penetrate Kurd-controlled areas east of the Euphrates River, but the United States doesn’t seem ready to give up its relationship with the Kurdish People's Protection Units. Syria
Turkish court quashes journalist’s prison sentence Ayla Albayrak won an appeal against a 2017 terror conviction for reporting on the Kurdish insurgency for the Wall Street Journal, but she doubts the court was motivated by concern for press freedom. Turkey
Israel’s defense minister quits amid Gaza escalation For Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision favoring a cease-fire with Hamas was the last straw in a series of policies he could not accept. Palestine
Iraq’s governorates reject 2019 draft budget Iraq's 2019 draft budget is the target of major criticism by the Iraqi governorates and Kurdistan Region for not fulfilling their needs and demands. Iraq
Morocco eyes privatization to fill its budget deficit The 2019 finance bill shows a return of the privatization process in Morocco as a step in the direction of opening up the economy, but economists believe this is the ultimate proof of a failing fiscal policy. Morocco
Netanyahu, Liberman criticized over Gaza cease-fire The latest round of Israel-Hamas fighting, the most severe since the war they fought in 2014, has intensified criticism against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman. Palestine
Congress seeks more control over North Africa counterterror program Lawmakers want a coherent strategy for the desert region from the Donald Trump administration. North Africa
