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
No relief in sight for Mideast hotspots after catastrophic 2020 Conflict, disease, famine compound crises in Gaza, Yemen, Syria. Regional
Intel: Congress warned of fallout if Yemen's Houthis labeled terrorists A group of 29 aid agencies operating in Yemen warned congressional leaders that the Donald Trump administration's planned terror designation could hinder their live-saving work. Yemen
UAE responds to criticism from US senators on F-35 sale A group of bipartisan senators has introduced legislation rejecting the Trump administration's planned sale of the advanced fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Israeli, Jordanian foreign ministers meet, with plenty of issues on their agenda Israel's normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and Israel’s apparent rapprochement with Saudi Arabia worry Jordan, especially when it comes to its special custodian status in Jerusalem. Israel
How realistic are Turkey’s ambitions over strategic corridor with Azerbaijan Turkey is pinning high economic hopes on a transport link that would connect it to Azerbaijan and beyond, but Russia and Iran have caveats and the viability of Turkey’s projects are open to question. Turkey
Shiite factions close to Sistani move to separate from Iran-backed militias Brigades close to top Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani announced the formation of a mobilization force affiliated with the chief of staff of the Iraqi armed forces, rather than Iran. Iraq
Egypt, Saudi Arabia accuse Qatar of undermining Gulf security As Saudi Arabia seeks to thaw relations with Qatar, it called for a meeting with Egyptian officials, during which the two countries condemned Qatar’s interception of two Bahraini coastguard vessels in the Arabian Sea. Egypt
Egypt’s first hearing impaired flight attendants work flight to Khartoum Two Egyptian women have become the Middle East's first hearing impaired flight attendants thanks to an initiative called Humanitarian Flights. Egypt
Inside Mar Saba Monastery in the West Bank Mar Saba Monastery near Bethlehem attracts thousands of tourists each year, all the while facing constant attacks by Israeli settlers. Palestine
Israel worries that Biden will re-adopt Obama’s Iran policy The most important thing now for Israel’s security agencies is for the Biden administration to dialogue with them and include them over its future Iran policy. Israel
After years of waiting, Ethiopian Jews arrive to Israel One hundred Ethiopian Jews are set to arrive to Israel today, as part of Operation Rock of Israel that was launched yesterday, to bring home 2,000 members of the community. Israel
Trump administration imposes new sanctions on Iranian company The administration is continuing to add sanctions on Iranian entities ahead of President-elect Joe Biden's taking office. Biden could remove some of the sanctions. United States
