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
Senior Israeli Orthodox rabbis urge Americans to vote for Trump A group of Jewish settlers in the Palestinian West Bank also prayed for the US president's victory at Abraham's tomb on Monday. Israel
Algeria votes to revamp constitution despite low voter turnout Algerians took to the polls on Sunday to vote in a referendum that has introduced presidential term limits and other changes to the constitution. Algeria
IRGC wants Iranians to ignore US elections A statement by the IRGC has urged citizens to rely on domestic capabilities — rather than a US election — to solve the country’s problems. Iran
Iraqi parliament votes on final version of electoral law Iraq's Council of Representatives voted on the electoral law, which, if passed, will put forward the program for early elections scheduled for next June. Iraq
Turkey turns up heat on PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan Iraqi Kurdish forces have deployed to a mountainous area long used as a camp ground by PKK militants, adding to the pressure the militants face from Turkey’s cross-border military operations in the region. Turkey
With polls plunging, Netanyahu rebrands himself as responsible adult Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu realized that if he wants to preserve his popularity and save the Likud party from plunging in the polls, he must focus on one thing only: defeating the coronavirus pandemic. Israel
Israelis addicted to tweeter specialized in COVID-19 charts Tweeting under the name Little Moiz, Eldad Sitbon has become a source of reference with his coronavirus graphs and charts. Israel
Hamas balances ties between Turkey, Egypt A Hamas delegation has concluded a visit to Cairo to brief Egyptian officials on the latest efforts to bring about elections after reaching an agreement with Fatah in Turkey. Palestine
Ultra-Orthodox Israeli town finally leaves coronavirus red zone The ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak has managed to lower the number of infections, largely because local rabbis convinced their congregations to observe the state-ordered restrictions. Israel
Israel boycott movement furious at UAE over deal to import wine from occupied Golan Heights The United Arab Emirates signed a deal with Israel to buy wine produced in the settlements of the occupied Golan Heights, prompting a wave of anger among Palestinians and the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. United Arab Emirates
Egypt looks to South Korea to revitalize small businesses Egypt has moved to cooperate with South Korea to develop its small and medium-sized enterprises sector, which is the main pillar of sustainable development and a key to creating jobs for the country’s youth. Originals
Intel: US, Sudan sign terror claims agreement The last major step in restoring US-Sudanese relations is legislation pending in Congress that would restore Sudan's sovereign immunity. Israel
