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
The Takeaway: Ending GCC rift would honor late Kuwaiti emir’s legacy Sheikh Sabah remembered by Trump as ‘unparalleled diplomat’; Erdogan, King Salman and the Palestinians; Arab citizen first Israeli to join UAE soccer league. Originals
Rockets land in Erbil as US threatens embassy pullout Iraqi Kurdistan’s counterterrorism service said the rockets were fired by paramilitary groups in Ninevah province in northern Iraq. Iraq
Trump's Supreme Court pick represented controversial Iranian group Amy Coney Barrett was part of a legal team that represented the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which had previously been designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. Originals
US sanctions Syria’s central bank chief, intel head The Trump administration sanctioned more than a dozen Syrian officials and entities in its latest push to choke off the regime's financial network. Syria
Turkey backs Azerbaijan in war with Armenia as Russia stands by The flare-up between Azerbaijan Armenia may have been planned by Azerbaijan and its regional ally Turkey, leaving Russia's intentions in supporting Turkey and Azerbaijan in question. Turkey
US, UAE press ahead to broker Israel-Sudan rapprochement Sudan might be ready to establish ties with Israel, but first it needs for the United States to remove it from the list of countries sponsoring terrorism. Israel
Iraqi foreign minister warns US Embassy pullout would be 'dangerous' for region Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned an American withdrawal could cause other members of the anti-IS coalition to pull their diplomatic staff. Iraq
Iran president says 'no' to pre-election deal with Trump Despite an official line of indifference toward US election results, Iranian authorities are closely monitoring the race from Tehran. Iran
New Kuwait emir stresses unity in first speech Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah succeeded his late brother Sheikh Sabah to become the new emir of Kuwait on Wednesday. Originals
Can Azeri-Armenian flare-up grow into big regional conflict? The Nagorno-Karabagh clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia could evolve into a war of attrition, but none of the regional heavyweights want a conventional war in the region. Turkey
Intel: First Israeli Iron Dome battery arrives in US A second Iron Dome battery is expected to arrive by the end of the year. Israel
Libya rivals strike tentative pact on prisoner swap, UN says The two warring sides met in Egypt for the latest round of talks aimed at ending the long-running civil war. Libya
