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
Rich families buy second citizenship in post-Ritz Saudi Arabia Political repression following the rise of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has pushed some wealthy Saudis to buy second passports. Saudi Arabia
West Bank village celebrates end of 20-year-old Israeli roadblock The residents of Qalqas, south of Hebron, will finally see the main road to their town’s entrance reopened, blocked in 2000 by the Israeli authorities. Palestine
Egypt leads international coalition to confront Turkey in eastern Mediterranean Egypt, Jordan, Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy signed the charter to transform the EastMed Gas Forum into a regional organization based in Cairo, in an attempt to form an international lobby capable of confronting Turkish ambitions in the eastern Mediterranean. Egypt
Egypt considers space program Egypt is looking into establishing a satellite-carrying rocket launch station, in a step that will allow Cairo to firmly put its feet on the path of satellite technology and space science. Originals
Saudi Arabia’s fragile support to Palestine Saudi Arabia’s traditional pro-Palestinian positions are unlikely to be compromised even if some gestures are made to the Israelis and to the Trump administration. Saudi Arabia
Egypt presses for political solution in Libya Egypt recently hosted the head of the Libyan Tobruk-based parliament, Aguila Saleh, and eastern military strongman Khalifa Hifter as part of efforts to unify Libyan ranks and reach a political solution to the crisis in the country. Egypt
Following US warning, Iraq steps up pressure on outlawed militias A warning from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spurred Popular Mobilization Units factions to take actions against outlawed militias that are attacking foreign missions and troops. Originals
Significant challenges face Kadhimi’s economic reform project The economic reform project that Mustafa al-Kadhimi's government is supposed to propose soon faces great challenges related to the need to get parliament’s approval before taking any step. Iraq
Why rejoining Iran nuclear deal isn’t so easy, even if Biden wins A new Iran deal should consider the “gold standard” energy pact by the UAE and include a regional dialogue on the peaceful use of nuclear power. United Arab Emirates
Intel: UN engages with Libya’s electric company amid blackouts, popular unrest The United States pledged support for Libya's electric company amid continued blackouts in Libya, which are fueling popular unrest. Libya
EU countries summon Iranian ambassadors over human rights concerns Iran's ambassadors to three European countries have been summoned this week over Tehran's human rights practices. Iran
