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 love left for Erdogan’s son-in-law The resignation of the Turkish president's son-in-law Berat Albayrak as finance minster has elated journalists, bureaucrats and academics as well as elites in the ruling party. Turkey
Shakeup rattles major Islamist group in Idlib Ahrar al-Sham, once one of the largest factions of the Syrian opposition, has divided into two wings: one with ties to the Free Syrian Army and another close to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. Syria
Cairo frets over workers in Libya as Tripoli struggles to establish security As Libya inches toward a political resolution of its long war, Egypt is focusing on protecting its workers in the country. Egypt
Egypt holds its first Islamic exhibition in Saudi Arabia Egypt is trying to attract Saudi tourists by holding an exhibition of Egyptian Islamic antiquities in Saudi Arabia, which includes 84 artifacts from the collections of Islamic art in Cairo. Saudi Arabia
Trump administration unveils more sanctions tied to Iran Six companies and four people were blacklisted by the Treasury Department on Tuesday. United States
Palestinians ask: Who will fill Saeb’s shoes? The question of who will take the helm of negotiations with Israel is particularly important with the election of Joe Biden and renewed prospects for talks. Palestine
US envoy for Iran says Biden returning to Iran deal not a given Elliott Abrams told reporters that the United States will continue to sanction Iran as long as Donald Trump is president. United States
Lebanon returns to lockdown as virus cases surge COVID-19 infections have risen steadily in Lebanon since the August explosion in Beirut. Lebanon
Trump White House proposes sale of 50 F-35s to United Arab Emirates The proposed sale includes 18 MQ-9B weapons-ready drones and air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. United Arab Emirates
Israel approves normalization with Bahrain, advances ties with Sudan It was a rich diplomatic day in Israel, with the Knesset validating the normalization deal with Bahrain and an Israeli official delegation preparing to depart on Sunday to Sudan for rapprochement talks. Israel
Amid market tumult, Erdogan appoints new finance minister Investors are watching for policy shifts as Turkey’s Former Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Elvan takes the helm of the nation’s Finance Ministry following the surprise resignation of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law Berat Albayrak. Turkey
Indiana woman gets 6 years in prison after smuggling cash for the Islamic State Prosecutors say Samantha Elhassani also brought her two children to live in IS-controlled territory in Syria. Syria
