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
Family silver next in line in Turkey’s debt crunch The hefty external debt of Turkey’s public and private sectors is increasingly imposing the option to offer asset swaps to creditors, including company shares and valuable real estate. Turkey
Oman kicks off ambitious reform project A significant revamp promises to slim down the Omani government, bring in new faces and mark the start of a new era. Oman
Trump, Kadhimi discuss new phase in US-Iraq strategic relationship Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's visit to Washington led to new energy deals and continued security cooperation. Iraq
Jordan accuses teachers union of 'economic crimes' in crackdown Activists claim Jordanian government is applying "defense laws" to suppress dissent during economic downturn. Jordan
Israeli-Ethiopian community divided on bringing 8,000 Falash Mura Minister of Immigration and Absorption Pnina Tamano-Shata presented last week a plan to bring to Israel 8,000 Falash Mura from Ethiopia by the end of 2022. Israel
How megaprojects mitigated COVID-19 impact on Egypt’s labor market The coronavirus pandemic has increased the unemployment rate, but the impact could have been worse without the infrastructure overhaul. Egypt
Al-Qaeda executes dentist in Yemen Al-Qaeda in Yemen killed a dentist in Yemen on spying charges and then tied his body on a makeshift cross as the country slides deeper into lawlessness and chaos. Yemen
Israel carries out multiple airstrikes after 12 rockets from Gaza Escalation on Israel-Gaza border: Israel Defense Forces jets struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip three times, after 12 rockets and projectiles were launched during the night from Gaza. Palestine
General Electric signs deal with Iraq's Electricity Ministry The US industrial giant's announcement came before Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited the White House. Iraq
Pompeo initiates snapback of Iran sanctions at UN Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States was left with no alternatives following its failed bid at the UN Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran. Originals
Iran unveils ballistic missile named after Qasem Soleimani A missile named for the powerful commander killed in a US drone strike last January was unveiled on Iranian state TV Thursday. Iran
UAE official says F-35 request 'legitimate,' not connected to Israel deal UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said an arms deal should be easier now that his country inked a deal to normalize ties with Israel. United Arab Emirates
