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
Ankara seeks stable ties with Riyadh but demands answers on Khashoggi murder President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants those arrested in Saudi Arabia over the murder of prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be tried in Turkey. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu losing his diplomatic ‘magic touch’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, master of international diplomacy, seems to be losing his magic touch: Ties with Jordan and Russia are shaky, the alliance with Saudi Arabia draws criticism and the Trump team might present its peace plan at any moment. Palestine
Trump slams Saudi Khashoggi plot, US announces visa sanctions US President Donald Trump heaped scorn on ally Saudi Arabia, saying the operation that killed journalist Jamal Khashoggi was “very bad” and the cover-up in weeks afterward was the “worst … ever.” Saudi Arabia
Russia eyes opportunities with new Iraqi decision-makers As Iraq welcomes its new parliament members and office-holders, Moscow looks to beef up bilateral cooperation in different areas with Baghdad. Iraq
Middle East pins Oscar hopes on young directors From Lebanon to Egypt to Tunisia, regional countries' Academy Awards nominees for best foreign language film are mostly the works of young directors and center on the lives of young adults and children. Egypt
Erdogan offers few answers, no smoking gun in Khashoggi killing The Turkish president shared few new details in his much anticipated public address on the death of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, but made it clear that Ankara will continue pressure on Riyadh over the case. Saudi Arabia
Will Iran’s Reformists succeed in gathering all factions under one roof? Iranian Reformists are gathering forces to form a new assembly. But while some think it could be a chance for a democratic entity to represent the movement, others argue that Reformists need to reconnect with society rather than forming new bodies. Iran
Cracks appear within Rouhani's inner circle as VP 'signals departure' Speculations are once again rife that Iran's first vice president might be resigning after he complained about lack of authority. Iran
Israeli right tries to bully Rabin family into silence The right is trying to distance the Rabin family from the commemoration of assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin as it plays down the incitement to violence that lead to his death. Israel
Israel to build 31 settlement units in heart of Hebron The approval by Israel of the construction of 31 settlement units in the heart of Hebron's Old City has pushed Palestine to resort to the International Criminal Court. Palestine
Azaz gun control aims to keep civilians safe The local councils of Azaz and the surrounding villages decided to impose gun control measures to keep weapons out of the hands of civilians and Free Syrian Army factions. Syria
