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
Egypt rallies Arab states against Turkey in Syria Cairo is capitalizing on anger over the Turkish intervention in Syria to unite the Arab ranks in support of Damascus. Egypt
Egypt boosts naval power in deal with German shipbuilder Egypt is getting ready to start building its first locally manufactured frigate with the help of Germany. Egypt
Archaeologists worry new roads could damage pyramids The construction of two highways near the ruins of the ancient city of Memphis has alarmed archaeologists, who fear that traffic on the new roads will damage the archaeological treasures in the area and expose them to theft. Egypt
Palestinian security forces round up Dahlan supporters in West Bank Palestinian security forces are arresting supporters of exiled Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan following Israel's normalization agreements with the UAE and Bahrain. Palestine
Egypt puts burden on Turkey to open talks Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has toned down his rhetoric on Egypt in light of the tensions between the two countries, against the backdrop of the recent development in the eastern Mediterranean and Libya. Egypt
Rouhani says Iran isn’t a ‘bargaining chip’ in US elections Iran's president told the UN General Assembly that any future administration must "surrender" to Iran. Iran
Turkey off the hook as EU postpones sanctions decision amid coronavirus scare Talks could resume soon between the two countries over maritime boundaries and offshore gas drilling. Turkey
Jordan sets single-day record for coronavirus cases Jordan's Health Ministry reported 643 new cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to more than 5,600. Jordan
Palestinian diplomat: 'No honor' in Arab rush to normalization The Palestinian Authority withdraws its chairmanship of the Arab League. Palestine
Abu Dhabi scraps liquor license requirement for alcohol purchases People in the emirate now need only be of age and in a certified drinking area such as a bar to consume alcohol. United Arab Emirates
Lebanon rocked by another explosion in Hezbollah stronghold A security source told Reuters that an arms depot belonging to Hezbollah exploded due to a "technical error." Lebanon
Intel: Russia to pursue military cooperation with Iran once arms embargo expires Iran's foreign minister, who mocked US efforts to renew the embargo, is headed to Moscow Thursday. Russia
