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
Oman's coronavirus cases pass 100,000 The Gulf state opened a field hospital Monday to deal with the influx of COVID-19 infections. Oman
Third, final Iranian tanker arrives in Venezuela Iran sent three tankers carrying more than 800,000 barrels of fuel to the South American country, successfully evading US sanctions in the process. Iran
American-Israeli yeshiva student takes reins of El Al Israeli authorities approved the sale of almost 43% of Israel’s national carrier El Al to 27-year-old Eli Rozenberg, whose American father critics say is behind the purchase. Israel
Suicide rate among youth on the rise in Iraq Suicide has been on the rise among Iraqi youth, who face a pandemic, high unemployment and a volatile political situation. Iraq
Are Sinai-based terrorists shifting to Cairo? Egyptian authorities' pursuit of Sinai-based terrorists may be expanding to cells near the capital. Egypt
Egypt’s ban of Jewish festival raises controversy Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court upheld a previous ruling prohibiting the celebration of the birth of a Jewish rabbi, which attracts hundreds of Israelis every year, in a move that may in part reflect popular rejection of normalization with Israel. Egypt
Hamas leader: 'Sudan has never failed us' Hamas is investing in Iranian support as it scrambles to reset its strategy as a result of the latest normalization agreements with Israel in the region. Palestine
Did Erdogan approve Azerbaijan escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh? The Turkish president is the author of a militarized regional policy that now stretches from the Caucuses to Libya. Iraq
Intel: Morocco signs 10-year military cooperation agreement with Pentagon The United States is building up its alliances in North Africa amid tensions with Russia and China. Morocco
Are Turkey's Salafi groups taking up arms? Reports of increasing private armament among Turkey's Salafi groups have fueled concerns over social peace in Turkey where polarization is rife. Turkey
Yazidi spiritual leader Baba Sheikh dies at 87 Nobel laureate Nadia Murad described him as "a beacon of light." Iraq
Iranians call COVID-19 diagnosis 'lesson' for Trump To many Iranians, the news that US President Donald Trump has the novel coronavirus is poetic justice. United States
