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
Is Turkey’s 'strategic partnership' with America coming to an end? An expert maintains that if solutions to the structural factors poisoning ties cannot be found, Turkish-American relations will continue to deteriorate. Turkey
New border crossing to create direct Iraq-Turkey link Ankara and Baghdad have announced plans to open a second border crossing, tightening links between the two countries. Iraq
Pentagon budget leaves uncertain future for Middle East President Donald Trump authorized on Monday the Pentagon’s 2019 budget, which will underwrite big upgrades for US weapons systems and troop numbers but leaves an uncertain future for the Pentagon’s operations in the Middle East. Iraq
US sanctions put nearly half a million jobs at risk in Iran’s auto parts industry Auto parts suppliers in Iran warn that US sanctions coupled with domestic mismanagement are bringing their industry to its knees. Iran
Palestinian diplomatic campaign gaining traction While the Netanyahu government considers it to be a minor inconvenience, the choice of Palestine to head the UN’s largest group of developing countries greatly strengthens the diplomatic status of Palestinian leadership as an international player. Palestine
Iraq, Jordan sign security agreement Iraq and Jordan have signed a security agreement to facilitate trade and travel between the two countries. Iraq
Syrian regime forces seize Suwayda desert After eight days of fighting, the Syrian regime forces, with the help of opposition factions, managed to seize the Suwayda desert following the eviction of the Islamic State organization. Syria
Egypt takes effective step on path to economic reforms Egypt launched an electronic management system to track and monitor state agencies’ financial performance and public accounts in an effort to enforce budgetary spending and crack down on waste and corruption. Egypt
Hebron forced to crack down on lucrative, dangerous scrap trade The local authorities are fighting the scrap trade in Hebron, where people burn used goods to extract valuable materials despite the damage it causes to the environment and public health. Palestine
Palestinian Islamic Jihad optimistic after visit to Russia While some believe the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's trip to Moscow aimed to counter US plans that favor Israel, others say it reflects the movement’s openness to whatever serves the interests of the Palestinian cause. Palestine
Traffic policewomen, a first for Bethlehem Women participated for the first time in organizing traffic in Bethlehem, as part of a police program aimed at promoting women’s role in the force. Palestine
Turkey wants its share of Syria’s reconstruction Turkey is bargaining with Russia for the reconstruction of Aleppo and to promote field projects in order to get a share in the reconstruction efforts of the war-torn country. Syria
