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
Israeli air carrier requests to fly to Sharm el-Sheikh In another sign of warming relations, Israel's Israir Airlines Ltd. wants to operate flights from Tel Aviv and Haifa to the Sinai Sharm el-Sheikh resort town. Israel
Kosovo becomes third country to open embassy in Jerusalem The Muslim-majority country opened an embassy in the contested city after Israel recognized its independence from Serbia. Israel
Will US sanctions bring China and Saudi Arabia closer? Recent US sanctions on Saudi Arabia, coupled with prospects for Washington reentering the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, could push Saudi Arabia to strengthen its ties with China. Originals
Libya swears in new prime minister of unity government Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has vowed to unify the war-torn country and lambasted the presence of foreign mercenaries. Libya
Why Somalia is important for Egypt in Nile dam crisis Egypt seeks to consolidate relations with Somalia for its important role in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam crisis and to counter Turkish influence in the Horn of Africa. Egypt
Oman bans popular chat app Clubhouse The audio-only phone application is popular throughout the Middle East but could face further restrictions. Oman
Biden leaves Syria on back burner as war marks 10 years In his first months in office, President Joe Biden's team has signaled that Syria’s civil war won’t be among his top foreign policy priorities. Syria
Iran begins phase one of domestic vaccine production Iran says it has begun the first phase of production for a domestic coronavirus vaccine. Iran
Flurry of Sunni Triangle ops sparks questions over Islamic State Several large military operations conducted in Sunni-majority areas of Iraq in recent weeks and mass killings have raised questions over whether a much-debated IS resurgence is actually in the making or whether the roots of the problem lie elsewhere. Iraq
Egypt seeks to block Turkish influence in Chad Egypt is making every effort toward rapprochement with Chad to counterbalance Turkey’s influence in the African continent, especially after the defeat of Cairo’s ally in Libya. Egypt
Egypt, UAE call for rethink of Syria’s expulsion from Arab League Egypt and the United Arab Emirates are calling for Syria to be accepted back into the Arab League as analysts say that its suspension has done little good. United Arab Emirates
Israel, Cyprus, Greece advance underwater power cable project Israeli, Greek and Cypriot energy ministers signed last week an agreement to advance the undersea Euro-Asia Interconnector electricity cable. Israel
