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
Can Palestine be transformed into investment hub? Foreign investments in Palestine accounted in 2017 for $1.5 billion, mostly in the tourism and banking sectors, with Palestine offering a range of encouraging incentives. Palestine
Jilted Democrats fume over Trump-Netanyahu lovefest Democrats in Congress are taking aim at US Ambassador David Friedman as the deepening alliance between the US government and the Israeli right leaves them in the cold. Israel
Iran's Khamenei orders boost in uranium enrichment capacity Ayatollah Khamenei’s order that preparations be made to vastly expand enrichment capacity if talks to save the JCPOA fail was met with various reactions in Tehran. Iran
Iran's outreach to India after US exit from nuclear deal faces obstacles While Iran will likely receive political and trade support from the Indian government, Indian business with exposure to the United States will likely succumb to pressure from Washington. United States
Ankara hypes US-Turkey deal on Manbij The Washington meeting between Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo may mark a turning point in troubled US-Turkey ties. Syria
Netanyahu wants Abbas to pay for Gaza kite arson Instead of punishing Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to punish Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for Gaza fire kites. Palestine
Turkey’s Ince galvanizes opposition hopes in presidential race Muharrem Ince, the main opposition candidate in Turkey’s presidential polls, has put up a performance beyond expectations, spurring hope in opposition ranks that defeating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might be within reach. Turkey
Baghdad pays homage to nationalist poet who fled under Saddam Hussein The Baghdad municipality has announced that it will turn the house of Arab poet Mahdi al-Jawahiri into a museum. It remains to be seen whether Iraq will also get his remains back from Syria, where Jawahiri lived after fleeing Iraq in 1980. Iraq
Likud minister takes gamble in bid for Jerusalem mayor Minister Ze’ev Elkin showed political courage when he decided to run for mayor of Jerusalem, even though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignored him. Israel
Two-way mistrust hinders Libyan rivals' meeting in Paris The latest meeting between Libya’s rival governing factions produced interesting points that could help the country, but was ultimately disappointing after both sides refused to recognize each other's legitimacy. Libya
Will Israel annex the Jordan Valley? Instead of entertaining his fantasies about settlement blocs in the West Bank and the Jordan Valley, President Donald Trump should try to bring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu down to earth to an agreement on two states for two people. Palestine
Political wrangling within Tunisia's leading party points to power struggle Whoever takes over Tunisia’s leadership eight years after the revolution will face an array of challenges, not least addressing the long-held grievances of much of the population and safeguarding the country’s democratic gains. Tunisia
