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
Israel-Lebanon sea border talks postponed Israel and Lebanon have paused direct discussions over their maritime dispute in a gas-rich part of the Mediterranean in October under US supervision. Israel
Iran vows revenge after nuclear scientist's assassination A number of Iranian officials have said they will continue the path that the assassinated scientist was on. Iran
Israel's Netanyahu plans official visit to Egypt The reported visit follows a string of normalization deals with Arab countries. Egypt
Egypt's military ties with Sudan linked to stance on Nile River Dam Egypt seeks to consolidate military relations with Sudan in various military fields, with Cairo and Khartoum signing most recently a military cooperation agreement and conducting joint military exercises. Egypt
Netanyahu prepares his Iran cards before Biden takes office Israel did not take responsibility for the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakharizadeh, yet Western sources estimate it was a Mossad operation. Israel
Egyptians await procession of royal mummies to their new home Some 22 royal mummies will be transported in a major royal procession from the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization in Fustat. Egypt
Israeli politicians warn about 'Pollard festival' in celebration of Israeli spy Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and former Mossad chief Danny Yatom warn that public expressions of joy over the expected immigration to Israel of ex-spy Jonathan Pollard could damage bilateral ties with the United States. Israel
Nuclear scientist's assassination puts Tehran at crossroads As Iran investigates the assassination of a top nuclear scientist, fingers are already pointing at Israel and the United States, whose outgoing administration clearly wants to minimize the chances of reviving the nuclear deal. Iran
Palestinians radio silent on Netanyahu’s visit to Saudi Arabia The Palestinian Authority keeps mum on the alleged visit of Benjamin Netanyahu to Saudi Arabia, as it does not wish to get on the wrong side of Riyadh. Palestine
Despite tension, Turkey attracts more Egyptians than ever Istanbul has been a hot destination for Egyptians for many years and the trend is only increasing despite the tensions between the two countries. Egypt
Netanyahu ignores IDF generals, runs his own show Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu considers the Israel Defense Forces chief of staff as an associate of his rival Defense Minister Benny Gantz. Israel
Iran hard-liners set up roadblocks around Reformist candidates for president Half a year away from Iran’s presidential election, the country’s hard-liners are already hard at work to ensure the next president is on their side. Iran
