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
Iran's national team sees popularity boost, but not just because of World Cup The siege mentality that is re-emerging with the return of US sanctions appears to have acted to rally Iranians around the national soccer squad. Iran
Fight over oil offers opportunity to protect Libya's wealth Gen. Khalifa Hifter’s Libyan National Army forces have retaken Libya's strategic oil crescent region and announced that the rogue Benghazi-based National Oil Corporation will now administer it. Libya
IS killings and kidnappings in central Iraq raise questions The desert area west of Salahuddin and other depopulated areas have faced a spate of kidnappings and killings claimed by the Islamic State. Iraq
Netanyahu faces international scrutiny on Jerusalem In his meeting with the UK’s Prince William, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu avoided the issue of the prince’s refusal to meet with Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat in his municipality office. Palestine
Floating oil island will handle Iraq's expected spurt in exports Now that OPEC has approved an increase in oil production, Iraq expects to boost its exports significantly, and to accommodate that increase, South Oil Co. will develop a floating oil island. Iraq
Hamas courtship of Russia could lead to win-win romance A Hamas delegation recently visited Moscow to discuss various issues, ranging from the anticipated US peace plan to Moscow possibly brokering a Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
Palestinians condemn Trump's proposed peace plan Fatah has come out swinging against what it says is the US administration’s unilateral effort to impose a Mideast peace plan that greatly favors Israel. Palestine
Egypt delivers Friday sermons in English, French The Egyptian Ministry of Awqaf is teaching imams and preachers foreign languages in order for them to deliver Friday sermons in French and English and spread moderate teachings of Islam in tourist areas. Egypt
Hamas-Fatah feud heats up as talk of Abbas successor intensifies Hamas members of parliament fear that the Palestinian Central Council will try to withdraw some of the powers of the Palestinian Legislative Council. Palestine
Jordan’s political elite warn of more protests if reforms are ignored Jordanians are pinning high hopes on the Omar Razzaz government, but failure to meet expectations could trigger wider public protests. Jordan
Egyptians divided as Sisi continues to extend state of emergency Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi extended a nationwide state of emergency for the fifth time since April 2017, as some questioned the necessity of this move. Egypt
South Syria offensive rages as thousands flee Thousands of Syrians were forced to leave their homes in southern Syria, where government forces have escalated the offensive to retake the strategic rebel-held area. Syria
