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
IRGC masses troops on Iraq border amid rising tensions with Kurdish groups The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is beefing up its control of Iran’s border with Iraqi Kurdistan a month after its missile strike on the headquarters of the main armed Iranian Kurdish opposition group. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Is Erdogan aiming to end Turkey’s dream of EU membership? Calling for a referendum on whether Ankara should end its bid for EU membership could shore up domestic political support for Erdogan ahead of crucial local elections in March 2019. Turkey
Egypt promotes government bonds on international tour Egypt is marketing its treasury bonds in Europe and Asia, though some analysts worry that expanding foreign debt will negatively affect the local economy. Egypt
Can Libya’s tribes help solve crisis? In an interview with Al-Monitor, the head of the Supreme Council of the Tuareg Tribes, Mawlay Qudeidi, speaks about the clashes between rival militias in Tripoli, the security situation and illegal immigration in the south, as well as the elections pushed for by the United Nations. Libya
Palestinians eager to welcome UN Security Council mission Palestinians hope that a UN Security Council visiting mission will make the trip to Gaza and the West Bank to experience their reality firsthand, but the United States might veto any such plans. Palestine
Gaza’s first maritime emergency service attends to protesters The Palestinian government in the Gaza Strip launched the first maritime emergency service in Gaza in order to provide medical assistance to demonstrators injured by Israeli fire while protesting at sea. Palestine
Young Egyptian engineers race ahead in electric vehicles Nine teams of Egyptian engineering students qualified for a mentorship program and funding to build their own designs and compete in Egypt's first electric vehicle competition. Egypt
Liberman pushes for Hebron construction as party numbers flag Yisrael Beitenu's grim polling is prodding Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman further into dangerous militancy and allegiance to far-right nationalist interests. Palestine
Turkish-Saudi team begins Khashoggi investigation The joint Turkish-Saudi investigation into the disappearance of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi seems to have started, though details are elusive and doubts about its seriousness persist. Saudi Arabia
Will Nadia Murad’s Nobel Prize help Iraqi minorities? The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Yazidi survivor Nadia Murad has raised expectations and hopes for Iraqi minorities, and Yazidis in particular, to prevent suppression against them and to win their rights. Iraq
