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
Turkey stops eastern Mediterranean drilling, wants talks with Greece The area in which Turkey planned to drill for gas is considered by Greece and Cyprus to be their waters. Turkey
Turkish lawmakers to debate controversial social media bill With a vote expected this week, the Turkish Parliament is set to begin deliberations over a bill that would compel social media platforms and news websites to open offices in Turkey and even remove content upon government request. Turkey
Fuel tank explosion in Iran latest in string of mystery blasts No casualties were reported after six trucks carrying fuel reportedly caught fire Monday. Iran
Moody's credit rating downgrade puts Lebanon on par with Venezuela The major credit rating agency said Lebanon is likely to default on its debt due to a lack of reform and the collapse of the Lebanese pound. Lebanon
Australian-British academic jailed in Iran moved to dangerous desert prison Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been moved to the Qarchak prison after spending nearly two years in Tehran's notorious Evin detention center. Iran
Emirates to require negative COVID-19 test for transit passengers The United Arab Emirates already required people entering the country to test negative for the coronavirus, but now the rule has been extended to all connecting travel on the Emirates airline. United Arab Emirates
Intel: Saudi Arabia backs Egypt on Libya Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said his government supports Egypt’s calls for a cease-fire in Libya after a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Cairo. Saudi Arabia
Should Netanyahu worry over violent protests against him? As political and public energy that has welled up against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the last few years is about to burst the floodgates, some worry he could be the target of an assassination attempt. Israel
Is Turkey headed for compromise or fresh fighting in Idlib? Turkey’s military buildup and efforts to collaborate with the dominant rebel group in Idlib appear to be the harbinger of a fresh war in the region, yet rebel forces suspect that Turkey is willing to concede to Russia. Turkey
Assassinations, kidnappings shake Baghdad Journalists and activists fear being targeted as another wave of protests and violence occur in Iraq. Iraq
Israel, Hezbollah playing war game, but avoid real conflagration Attempting to avoid further escalation with Hezbollah, the Israel Defense Forces are careful to showcase lots of fire and brimstone, but no casualties on either side. Israel
How COVID-19 widened Egypt’s budget gap The coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent lockdown measures have largely affected Egypt’s budget deficit. Egypt
