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
Apathy dominates Senate elections in Egypt While Egyptians voted this week for members of the newly created Senate, many experts say the elections will not bring about change in Egypt’s political sphere as most candidates have the approval of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt
Did Netanyahu find his legacy with UAE deal? The announcement yesterday on normalizing ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates reflects Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s realization that he must abandon his annexation plan. United Arab Emirates
Despite internal conflicts, Israel’s Arab party not splitting The Arab Joint List fears the wrath of its constituency, so it has no intention to split back into the four parties composing it. Israel
YouTube, Tiktok help low-income families survive in Egypt Low-income Egyptian families have discovered a way to make money via video-steaming platforms like YouTube and Tiktok. Egypt
Turkey says it will continue attacks on PKK after Iraqi border guards killed A Turkish drone strike targeting the Kurdistan Workers Party left two Iraqi border guards and their driver dead on Tuesday. Iraq
Palestinians express anger at UAE following US-brokered accord with Israel Palestinians say UAE decision to normalize relations with Israel is a crime. United Arab Emirates
Intel: FBI to join investigation into Beirut blast The FBI will lend its expertise to the investigators probing the explosion that killed at least 172 people in Beirut last week, US Undersecretary for Political Affairs David Hale said today in the Lebanese capital. Lebanon
Turkey grows increasingly isolated in eastern Mediterranean dispute with Greece Recep Tayyip Erdogan's assertive stance in the eastern Mediterranean maritime dispute is being challenged by a bloc comprising Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and France. Turkey
Netanyahu hails historic peace with UAE, says more Arab countries will follow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces full, historic peace with the United Arab Emirates, and says he is not giving up on implementing Israel sovereignty on West Bank lands. Israel
Intel: Iran’s navy boards oil tanker near Strait of Hormuz, US says A Liberian-flagged ship was seized by Iranian forces in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz, according to a US-led maritime security coalition. United States
Israel, UAE announce US-brokered deal to normalize relations Under the deal, Israel has agreed to suspend plans to annex the West Bank. Israel
Economic policy reversal fraught with political risks for Erdogan Ankara’s bid to warm the pandemic-hit economy has backfired, forcing a policy reversal that threatens to aggravate popular grievances and heighten political risks for Erdogan. Turkey
