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
Normalization deals create warm environment for Egypt-Israel ties Relations between Cairo and Jerusalem may be thawing in the wake of Israel's normalization agreements with two Gulf states. Egypt
Alliance between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox survives coronavirus crisis, emerges stronger The historic alliance between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties faced several obstacles throughout the coronavirus, but it is now strengthening. Israel
Palestinians pivot to Turkey, Qatar for support in wake of normalization deals The various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, are shoring up ties with Turkey and other countries in the region that stand against normalization with Israel. Palestine
Internal spat threatens Egypt’s oldest political party The Higher Committee of Al-Wafd Party decided to hold early elections for the party leadership, following an internal dispute over the allocation of the party’s seats in the National List of Egypt running in the country's upcoming parliamentary elections. Egypt
Antiquities restoration to be resumed at Egyptian village The Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is aiming to place Bahnasah village in Minya governorate on the tourist map following its restoration. Originals
Kenya taxes Egyptian imports raising specter of African trade war Kenya has decided to impose taxes on the imports coming from Egypt, following its unilateral retreat from the COMESA agreement. Egypt
Israeli-Arab town operates its own anti-corona plan The Israeli-Arab town of Kafr Qasim has managed to lower the number of coronavirus infections, but some residents warn that celebration is premature. Israel
The Takeaway: Normalization deals don’t ‘repair damage’ of Trump policies, says US senator Democrat Chris Van Hollen takes apart Trump policies in Middle East; Al-Monitor gets the scoop on the art of the deal in Sudan; Turkey’s militarized foreign policy; the gold standard for nuclear power in the Middle East. United States
Israel's new ambassador to Egypt finally assumes post Amira Oron's assumption of the ambassadorship was delayed for almost twof years because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed another candidate for the important position. Egypt
France supports Hariri's proposal to end Lebanon Cabinet standoff Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has suggested the role of finance minister be held by an "independent" Shiite. Lebanon
Intel: US push to get Sudan to recognize Israel faces setback Sudan's government is asking for $3 billion in emergency economic aid Israel
UAE records new high in COVID-19 cases The United Arab Emirates is trying to simultaneously fight the resurgence of the coronavirus and boost its tourism industry. United Arab Emirates
