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
Israel pins hopes on American sanctions against Iran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman pin their hopes on the American sanctions against Iran to destabilize the Tehran regime and force it to renegotiate the nuclear agreement. Israel
Turkey’s oil-and-gas drilling ship sails into eastern Mediterranean Turkey announced the launch of an oil-and-gas drilling ship in the eastern Mediterranean amid tensions with several regional countries, including Egypt and Cyprus, over the energy wealth there. Egypt
Will Iraqis get green light to enter restricted Green Zone? Iraq's new prime minister wants to lift at least some limits on entering Baghdad's Green Zone, but he is likely to face strong opposition from politicians and foreign diplomats there. Iraq
The gatekeeper of Israeli democracy and rule of law Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber has drawn fire from Justice Minister Ayelet Shaket and the right by daring to criticize the government’s ‘loyalty in culture’ law and in the process publicly defending Israel's legal system against further weakening. Israel
UN pushes back Yemen peace talks With UN talks on Yemen delayed amid escalating fighting, veteran diplomats say Pompeo should work with the UK to revive the Friends of Yemen and give UN efforts to end the conflict more sustained, high-level attention. Saudi Arabia
Pentagon braces for leaner Mideast war budget after Democrats win House The Defense Department is preparing for another era of lean budgets after Democrats took control of the House in Tuesday’s elections. Congress
Russia braces for new diplomatic push on Syria Russia's frenzy of diplomatic and military activity around Syria in recent days suggests Moscow is pushing its own initiatives before a new UN envoy on Syria takes the reins and before Democrats take control of the House in the United States. Syria
Turkey's Finance Ministry, Moody's have opposite views on economy's direction Moody's sees the Turkish economy as likely in recession, while Erdogan's son-in-law says positive results are on their way. Turkey
Turkey tests waters for new offensive against YPG Turkey is itching to go on the offensive against Kurdish forces in areas east of the Euphrates River in northern Syria, but the US role in the area continues to act as a deterrence. Syria
US sanctions hit Iranian patients once again The US reimposition of sanctions is once again disrupting ordinary Iranians’ access to vital medicines and medical equipment. United States
What's behind Europe’s outreach to Erdogan? Europe’s acceptance of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as an interlocutor is driven by Turkey’s continuing strategic importance rather than any reflection on its president. Saudi Arabia
