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
Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee sues Mohammed bin Salman in US court More than two dozen Saudis are named in the lawsuit seeking accountability for Jamal Khashoggi's "ruthless torture and murder." Saudi Arabia
Iran hard-liners renew calls for Rouhani’s head Extremists among the opponents of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani are calling for his impeachment and even execution after he suggested rapprochement with the United States could happen. Iran
Alliance with ultra-Orthodox could bring Netanyahu down Israelis are furious with the ultra-Orthodox, who have opened their education institutions despite high rates of coronavirus infection. Israel
UAE delegation arrives in Israel The first official delegation has arrived from the United Arab Emirates to Israel to sign four cooperation agreements, including a visa-exemption treaty. United Arab Emirates
Syrian extremist group in Idlib breaks with jihadist ideologue When Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was first established, it taught its members the approach of prominent jihadist ideologue Abu Mohammad al-Maqdisi, but it has now severed ties with him and recanted his ideology. Syria
Egypt's pro-state media reignites Clinton email controversy as US vote nears With the US presidential election just weeks away, Egyptian media outlets loyal to the government have dragged the controversy over former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails back into the headlines. Egypt
Israel’s Bennett in dilemma over his growing popularity Current polls give the Yamina party and its leader Naftali Bennett excellent results, just three seats short of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. Israel
Athens reaches out to Syria via Greek Orthodox community Syria’s Greek Orthodox Christians hope the resumption of ties between Syria and Greece will help them recover from the war. Syria
Egypt female candidate angers feminists by glorifying the patriarchy A female candidate running in Egypt’s upcoming legislative elections has been glorifying men and the patriarchal system, raising the ire of feminists across the nation who have worked for years to change society’s view that women are inferior. Egypt
US to remove Sudan from state sponsors of terror list President Donald Trump announced the plan to de-list Sudan on Monday. Israel
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat in Israeli hospital with COVID-19 The veteran Palestinian official's condition worsened on Monday, and he was placed on a ventilator. Palestine
Armenian-Americans send aid via Qatar Airways during war with Azerbaijan The Los Angeles-based Armenia Fund sent aid via the Gulf airline. Armenia and Azerbaijan are fighting over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Originals
