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
Biden administration's Middle East policy could be determined by Senate elections Several Senate races remain undecided. If Republicans maintain their majority, it could complicate President-elect Joe Biden's Iran policy. Originals
James Jeffrey, top US official on Syria and Islamic State, retiring The veteran diplomat will be replaced by his Syria deputy, Joel Rayburn, and top counterterrorism official Nathan Sales. Syria
Middle East leaders congratulate Biden on win Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has notably not commented on the former vice president’s victory in the US presidential election. Originals
Israel in talks for Pfizer's vaccine, official says US drug company Pfizer said on Monday that its COVID-19 vaccine is more than 90% effective. Israel
UN agency for Palestinian refugees runs out of money to pay salaries The announcement comes as the UN body is strained with increased demands and still reeling from a total funding withdrawal imposed by the Trump administration. Israel
Trump fires Defense Secretary Mark Esper The US president abruptly fired his defense secretary via Twitter after months of reports that Esper had fallen out of favor. United States
Opposition slams Netanyahu for allegedly approving US-Emirates F-35 deal Opposition members keep slamming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the imminent sale by the United States to the UAE of F-35 stealth jets. Israel
Interview Syrian Kurdish commander sees chance to ease tensions with Turkey under Biden In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Mazlum Kobane said the former vice president's victory may well spell change in Ankara’s behavior. Mazlum Kobane SDF commander in chief
Libya’s rival sides meet in Tunis to discuss Libya's political future Talks aim to lay the groundwork for a unity government in hope of eventually ending Libya's decadelong war. Libya
Shakeup of economy team stuns Turkey, cheers investors Presidential son-in-law Berat Albayrak has quit as finance minister amid economic turmoil, but most news outlets pretended it didn’t happen. Turkey
Iraq’s camp closures could leave 100,000 homeless as winter looms The Norwegian Refugee Council said displaced Iraqis are being forced from their camps with little notice. Iraq
Suspected Islamic State gunmen kill 11 at military post outside Baghdad Initial reports suggest the attack is the largest against Iraqi security forces in months. Iraq
