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
UAE begins bid for UN Security Council seat The Gulf country is seeking to become a nonpermanent member of the United Nations body for the 2022-2023 term. Originals
Islamists gear up for elections in Jordan amid widespread voter apathy The Islamic Action Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, reverses its decision to boycott parliamentary elections. Jordan
Egyptian media dismisses Turkish mediation on Palestinian file Although no Egyptian official commented on the recent Hamas-Fatah talks hosted by Turkey, the media was quick to denounce the meeting, accusing Hamas of getting cozy with Turkey to implement its regional ambitions. Egypt
Egypt cracks down on Syrian businesses allegedly tied to Brotherhood Egypt is going after certain Syrian businesses that have flourished, citing national security. Egypt
Egypt seeks to take advantage of Nile River floods After Sudan was exposed to a violent flood that killed hundreds of citizens, the Egyptian government announced a preparedness plan to deal with floods and torrents. Egypt is also trying to take advantage of the abundance of flood water to meet its water needs. Originals
Arab-Israeli soccer star joins Emirati league Following normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, the Emirati Al-Nasr soccer club has recruited Arab-Israeli star Dia Saba, who will be the first Israeli to join a Gulf league. United Arab Emirates
Netanyahu’s government shaking over decision to ban demonstrations The Knesset adopted this morning more restrictions on demonstrations during the coronavirus lockdown, but some Blue and White members could not bring themselves to vote with the government on that. Israel
Syriac manuscripts recovered from suspected Islamic State fighter in Mosul Stolen manuscripts resurface as Iraqi security forces engage Islamic State cells, but safety concerns for minority communities still loom large. Iraq
Biden criticizes Turkish role in Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict The Democratic presidential nominee also said Trump should work to de-escalate the war in the Caucus. Turkey has come up in the US presidential race before. Turkey
Trump mum on refugee admissions despite pleas from Congress The administration has drastically reduced the number of refugees resettled annually in the United States. United States
Pompeo says US-Greek relations at 'all-time high,' urges Athens-Ankara talks In Greece, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Athens and Ankara to resume talks over maritime disputes ahead of an EU summit later this week that is expected to address lingering tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkey
Iran denies links to Saudi-busted ‘terror cell’ Prospects of a Saudi-Iran deescalation appear dimmer as the two sides have entered a fresh episode in their war of words. Iran
