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
Why is Turkey absent from table despite being in field? Turkey’s policy to use muscle to gain diplomatic clout has been marred by a series of miscalculations, failing to produce the desired results in the conflicts in Libya and the Caucasus. Turkey
Iran official: Coronavirus deaths could double if guidelines not followed Iranian officials are warning that the 30,000 deaths reported could be much higher. Iran
'Cleopatra' casting of Israeli actress draws backlash in Egypt Many Egyptians are dismayed over Israeli actress Gal Gadot's casting in a new biographical drama depicting Cleopatra's life. Egypt
Rights group says Putin may bear 'command responsibility' for war crimes in Syria Human Rights Watch has named 10 senior Syrian and Russian officials who knew or should have known about the "unlawful attacks" taking place in Idlib. Syria
Submarine scandal keeps haunting Netanyahu Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not indicted in the submarine affair, but many Israelis are demanding that the case be further investigated. Israel
Iran breaks daily record for COVID-19 deaths three times in a week The coronavirus continues to spread in Iran despite lockdowns as sanctions and a poor economy add to the country's pain. Iran
The Takeaway: Do Arab Gulf states favor Trump or Biden in US election? Some leaders may prefer Trump, mostly because of Iran, but they aren’t saying; Plus: five must-read takes on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict; Egypt wants Nerfertiti bust back; Nile cruises return. Originals
Yemen's Houthi rebels release two US citizens in prisoner swap Officials from Saudi Arabia and Oman helped negotiate the release Saudi Arabia
Hezbollah rejects Lebanese delegation at maritime border talks with Israel Lebanon's two main Shiite parties said the negotiating team in the border talks shouldn't include civilians. Israel
Religion and policy collide in Saudi-hosted interfaith forum The G-20 interfaith forum will be virtually hosted by Riyadh this year, while the kingdom faces mounting criticism for human rights violations and religious persecution. Saudi Arabia
Biden campaign criticizes both Azerbaijan and Armenia in statement on war The US presidential contender also slammed Turkey's role in official remarks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey
Will Russia recruit Syrian Kurds to fight in Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict? While Russia will likely avoid direct involvement in the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, there are signs it could draw lessons from Libya and recruit fighters from Syria to do its bidding. Syria
