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
Iran desperate to maintain Iraqi financial lifeline Iran seeks to maintain the flow of hard currency from Iraq to help it overcome the US sanctions. Iraq
What now for Turkey in Cyprus and eastern Mediterranean? The election of Turkey’s favorite candidate in the Turkish Cypriot presidential elections may create more problems than opportunities for Ankara in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Cracks in Turkish-Russian ties begin to show Mistrust instead of the spirit of mutually beneficial political cooperation is guiding current relations between Ankara and Moscow. Turkey
Arab-Israelis unhappy with Joint List for rejecting deals with Gulf states Despite reluctance among Arab-Israeli lawmakers, Israel's Arab public largely supports the normalization deals signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Israel
Egyptian PM’s visit to archaeological site set to boost tourism Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Madbouly's historic visit to the Saqqara archaeological site took place ahead of the inauguration of several new museums in the coming months. Egypt
Gantz, Esper sign US commitment to maintain Israel’s qualitative military edge Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met yesterday with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper; the two ministers signed at the Pentagon a joint declaration over the United States maintaining Israel’s military advantage in the Middle East. Israel
Israeli technology exposes Gaza attack tunnel, challenges Hamas The Israel Defense Forces know that the uncovering of a large Hamas terror tunnel does not mean that group would abandon its efforts to attack Israel. Palestine
Egypt’s city of Esna is slowly regaining its glory amid renewed interest in its heritage The Ministry of Antiquities and an urban development company, with US funding, are advancing a major project to revive tourism in the city of Esna in Luxor governorate, by not only promoting its ancient heritage but also by implicating the locals. Egypt
Trump, Biden talk reported Iranian election interference at final debate US intelligence said that Iran was responsible for threatening emails sent to voters this week; the policy toward Iran has come up frequently during the election. United States
Turkey-Egypt conflict in Libya goes to market Ankara held an economic forum to introduce Turkish products to the Libyan markets, prompting the Egyptian-Libyan Joint Economic Chamber to warn against Turkish efforts to seize Libyan wealth. Egypt
Saudis, Arab states drastically reduce aid to Palestinians Arab grants and financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) have decreased since the beginning of this year by more than 81% compared to last year, exacerbating the financial crisis facing the PA. Legacy: Gulf
Israel, UAE agree Emiratis can stay without visas for 90 days Diplomats from the two Middle East countries also struck agreements on investment and aviation. United Arab Emirates
