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
Palestinians fear recent aid cuts could expand After Australia decided to cut direct aid to the Palestinian Authority, officials are concerned other countries could follow suit. Palestine
Egypt refuses entry for Sudan opposition leader The Egyptian authorities denied re-entry to Sudanese opposition leader, Sadiq al-Mahdi, as ties warm between Cairo and Khartoum. Egypt
Turkey’s passion for Jerusalem does little for Palestinians Despite the frequent and lofty promises by Turkish officials, major steps that would seriously contribute to the Palestinian economy hinge on Turkey’s attention to sensitive points in its relations with Israel. Palestine
Will Erdogan acquiesce to ally’s amnesty pressure? Turkey’s Nationalist Action Party is likely to use its kingmaker’s position in parliament to press for a comprehensive amnesty, a proposal the government has so far dismissed. Turkey
Turkish opposition bickers over defeat as Erdogan sends out inauguration invites President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will assume a vastly empowered presidency on Monday when he takes his oath of office while the opposition is still trading blame over its loss, setting off leadership challenges and fracturing alliances. Turkey
How a Turkish translator landed in court on terror charges A Turkish translator risks a jail sentence on charges of spreading terrorist propaganda simply for translating news reports on Twitter. Turkey
Iranian media claim MEK member behind Paris terror plot Iran says the couple arrested in Belgium for an alleged bomb plot are members of the group they were attempting to bomb. Iran
5 reasons Rouhani’s rivals want him to stay put Despite loud calls for President Hassan Rouhani’s resignation, Iranian conservatives are unlikely to genuinely seek his ouster. Iran
Iran’s retaliation plans worry Israel Israel fears that Iran may target senior security officials on visits abroad, and thus is expected to approve security details for former premiers. Israel
Russia, Jordan discuss Syria in run-up to Trump-Putin summit A visit by Jordan's foreign minister to Moscow comes as one link in a chain of Russia's recent consultations with key regional players on the state of affairs in Syria. Syria
Palestinian leaders underwhelmed by Israeli port plan Israel is floating a plan to set up a seaport in Cyprus to ease Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, but neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority has any praise for the proposal. Palestine
Egyptians debate efforts to bring back Mubarak's billions Egyptians are divided over whether former officials should be offered the chance to pay back looted funds in exchange for dropped charges as authorities work to bring back the estimated billions of dollars smuggled abroad during the reign of former President Hosni Mubarak. Egypt
