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
Zarif says retaliation for Soleimani killing still to come Iranian Foreign Minister Mohmmad Javad Zarif described the former IRGC commander as a "hero for the region" as Iranian leaders make vague threats of retaliation. United States
East-Med Gas Forum evolves as Israel, Egypt enhance cooperation Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz and six others sign the charter of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, which brings cooperation with other partners into a second, concrete phase. Palestine
Israeli opposition wants to know: Is there more to UAE deal than meets the eye? Senior opposition figures suspect that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hiding some of the details of the deal signed with the UAE. United Arab Emirates
In Washington, Gantz all about US snapback sanctions on Iran Israel’s Defense Minister Benny Gantz is in Washington today busily encouraging the administration to move ahead with its snapback sanctions move. Israel
'Guardians of Religion' extremist group under siege in Syria's Idlib The Guardians of Religion Organization, which has close ties to al-Qaeda in Syria, is under pressure from US drone strikes and a possible assault by Russian-backed Syrian forces. Syria
Hamas members see 'false unity' with Palestinian Authority Although leading Hamas and Fatah members have repeatedly met in the past few days, the mid-level leading members have been skeptical, as they believe that Fatah and the Palestinian Authority are not committed to reconciliation. Palestine
Egyptians turn to Bitcoin amid coronavirus crisis Soaring prices of cryptocurrencies, most notably Bitcoin, are tempting many unemployed Egyptians seeking to achieve quick gains, amid fears of Bitcoin being exploited to finance terrorism or illegal trade. Egypt
Saudis ready for kingdom’s first women’s soccer league Saudi female soccer players are eagerly waiting for Saudi Arabia’s first women’s soccer league to be launched in October, after being delayed for months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Saudi Arabia
F-35 deal with UAE could benefit Israeli defense industries Israel’s leadership is against the United States selling the Emirates F-35 jets, but if the deal comes through, Israeli defense industries could also benefit. United Arab Emirates
Egyptian TV host sparks controversy after saying there is 'devil' in unveiled women The recent remarks of a well-known Egyptian TV presenter on the hijab, criticizing those who are unveiled, stirred up a heated debate in Egypt. Egypt
Egypt announces record-high crude oil production for first time in decades Egypt’s Ministry of Petroleum has recently announced the achievement of a record number in producing crude oil, exceeding 65,000 barrels per day, for the first time since 1957. Egypt
Iran’s shadow looms large over southeastern Iraqi Kurdistan The recent bust of a major fraud and smuggling network at one of Iraqi Kurdistan's border crossings has drawn attention to the power wielded by Iran in that area, both on the local economy and on local water supplies due to dams built in recent years. Iraq
