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
Qatari envoy to Gaza rouses Hamas' ire Palestinians have expressed their anger at the Qatari ambassador’s statements in which he claimed that Hamas and Israel are conducting secret negations to avoid war. Qatar
EU condemns Israel's new nationality law The European Union is concerned by Israel's new law defining a Jewish nation-state, protesting that it is discriminatory and will hinder a two-state solution. Palestine
Syrians in opposition-held areas near Aleppo obtain new IDs With Turkey’s help, al-Bab’s local council started issuing new IDs to Syrians who had lost them in the war, a move that will soon be applicable in the entire Euphrates Shield area. Syria
Turkey makes payout to families of FSA fighters killed in Afrin operation The Turkish government has paid the families of Free Syrian Army militants killed in Operation Olive Branch a death gratuity, though the families of those Syrians killed in other operations are still waiting for aid. Syria
Egyptian street dancers face fines, jail time over 'Kiki challenge' Egypt's religious and law enforcement authorities have demanded Egyptians stop participating in an internet trend that has people dancing alongside moving cars. Egypt
Washington ratchets up sanctions threats against Turkey President Donald Trump threatened to impose sanctions on the same day the Senate advanced a bill restricting Turkey’s access to financial assistance. Turkey
Trump lashes out at Erdogan, threatens sanctions over Brunson The strain between Turkey and the United States hits another high point as the US president threatened Ankara with "large sanctions" if it does not free detained American pastor Andrew Brunson. Turkey
Iran's Soleimani continues war of words with Trump The head of Iran’s Quds Force, Qasem Soleimani, responded to President Donald Trump’s tweet threatening Iran. Yemen
Iran maneuvers to protect its interests in Syria Iran’s strategy on Syria enters a more proactive phase as the Islamic Republic maneuvers to keep its interests, including its partnership with Russia, intact. Syria
Why Syria's Kurds are inclined to negotiate with Damascus As the Syrian regime regains control of more areas from opposition forces, and given US claims of a desire to withdraw troops, Syria's Kurds seem to be inclined to engage in talks with Damascus. Syria
Egypt approves green bonds to boost eco-friendly projects Experts are doubting the effectiveness of green bonds in Egypt, as the economic situation is staggering and awareness about the importance of sustainable and eco-friendly projects is rare in the country. Egypt
Italian-French competition over Libya pushing country toward more chaos The French-Italian competition over dominance in Libya is not helping the country; rather, it is further pushing it toward disintegration. Libya
