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
Sadr allies with Iran-backed coalition to form government in Iraq In an unexpected move, the Sairoon Alliance led by Muqtada al-Sadr formed a coalition with the pro-Iranian Fatah Alliance, getting them close to a majority needed to form a new government. Iraq
Too much at stake for full-on conflict in southern Syria Prioritizing de-escalation in southern Syria appears to be the regional consensus, but the rebels’ opposition to any deals could lengthen the process. Israel
Can PA's push for e-payments help ease its cash crunch? The Palestinian Authority has approved a plan to promote the use of electronic payment methods to reduce the need for cash, especially hard currency, and to catch up with international developments in financial transactions. Palestine
How IDF chief shapes Israeli military The decision by IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot not to promote Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter has sparked fury within the national religious stream. Israel
Trump's Israel-Palestine deal targets Saudi alliance, not peace President Donald Trump knows that in order to get the Saudis into a regional alliance with Israel against Iran, he must first present a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Saudi Arabia
Does latest Gulf aid to Jordan come with strings? Analysts wonder whether a Gulf aid package to help Jordan deal with its current economic crisis is in fact an attempt to pressure the kingdom into accepting the Israeli-Palestinian peace plan being developed by the United States. Legacy: Gulf
Abbas agrees to end death penalty, but Hamas objects Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has signed a protocol to abolish the death penalty, but the measure faces opposition in the Gaza Strip, where Hamas continues to support the sentence. Palestine
US-Kuwait ties strained over Israel's response to Gaza protests Kuwait has been vocal against Israel’s violence against Palestinian protesters along the Gaza border, much to the dismay of the United States. Kuwait
Egypt braces for spillover from Turkey’s economic crisis With the Turkish lira hitting a new low against the dollar and Jordan freezing its free trade agreement with Ankara, will Egypt take revenge on Turkey by imposing duties on Turkish imports? Egypt
Congress seeks to hamstring US support for assault on Yemen port The Trump administration denies supporting the UAE’s offensive on Hodeidah, but lawmakers are skeptical. Saudi Arabia
Will pro-Erdogan columnist join ranks of jailed Turkish journalists? Turkey has reached a startling new height in locking up journalists, sentencing a prominent supporter of the president to 105 days behind bars for criticizing a long-dead known torturer. Turkey
How Russia-Israel engagement is benefiting Iran Russia’s engagement with Israel and the United States on Syria does not pose a direct threat against Iran, and it could even turn out to be beneficial for Tehran in several aspects. Syria
