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
Tulsi Gabbard succeeded in House by Afghan war veteran Gabbard, a Democrat from Hawaii who served in the Army in Iraq and ran for president in 2020, has been a critic of the US prosecution of "endless wars." Her successor, Democrat Kai Kahele, served in Afghanistan. Syria
While America counts its votes, Erdogan advances his agenda Can the next US president manage Erdogan’s ambition? Turkey
Russia, Iraq face OPEC+ cuts, look to new deals While Iraq's dependence on imported Iranian electricity continues to worry Washington, the key to breaking this energy dependence lies in the development of its own gas fields. Iraq
Intel: Trump administration to propose $3 billion drone sale to UAE News of the proposal comes a week after the administration informally notified Congress of its intent to sell F-35 fighter jets to Abu Dhabi. United Arab Emirates
Facebook closes suspicious accounts from Iran, Muslim Brotherhood The accounts engaged in coordinated activity aimed at manipulating public opinion in Israel, Tunisia and other countries. Facebook has gone after Iranian information operations before. Iran
As Biden takes lead, Palestinians eager to return to talks with US While Palestinian officials don't expect a Biden administration to roll back all of Trump's policies, they are hopeful for a change in course in US-Palestinian ties. Palestine
Intel: CENTCOM disputes watchdog report on Yemen civilian casualties The US military denied involvement in dozens of incidents in which civilians were reportedly killed. Yemen
Hearts in throats across Israel as US votes tallied Many Israelis are as emotionally invested in the US elections as though the domestic political contest were their own. Israel
Tunisia allows man to drop slavery-linked name One Tunisian man has won the battle to remove a part of his name that indicated slave status, but human rights organizations see the decision as a small step in a country that still suffers rampant racism and discrimination. Tunisia
Is Netanyahu ready for Biden? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prefers for Donald Trump to stay in the White House, but will also know how to operate vis-a-vis his old acquaintance Joe Biden. Israel
Egypt heads to Khartoum to avert crisis over disputed Halayeb-Shalateen area The controversy between Egypt and Sudan over the Halayeb and Shalateen region was renewed after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared in a recorded video with a map in the background showing the Halayeb and Shalateen Triangle as part of the Sudanese lands. Egypt
As Turkey pounds northeast Syria, residents fear new operation A year after Operation Peace Spring, the residents in the areas under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces fear a new Turkish operation. Syria
