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
25 of Iran’s 31 provinces on coronavirus watch list Iran’s daily coronavirus deaths remain at peak levels despite calls by officials for social distancing and other health protocols. Iran
Report: Emirates offers unpaid leave to pilots, cabin crew The Dubai-based airline continues to rebuild its flight network amid the coronavirus pandemic but has experienced financial setbacks. Originals
Kuwait's ruler travels to US for treatment after surgery Following an unspecified surgery Sunday, the 91-year-old emir flew to the United States "as advised by his medical team." Kuwait
Why Israeli Bedouins reject tree planting in their villages Plans to plant trees near Bedouin villages are opposed by local residents and environmental groups. Israel
Israel-Hezbollah tensions escalate, IDF sends more troops to the north Following the killing on Monday of a Hezbollah operative and Hezbollah retaliation threats, the IDF decided to send reinforcement to the country’s northern borders. Israel
Is Erdogan’s ability to turn superpower rivalry to advantage diminishing? The only thing Ankara can rely on is that the US-Russian conflict will grow to the point where the need to work with Turkey will override any antipathy felt for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government. Turkey
Conversion therapy vote marks beginning of end for Israel's unity government The vote to ban conversion therapy in Israel has exposed the depth of the crisis between the Likud and Blue and White. Israel
Egypt's Al-Azhar in dispute with government over fatwa authority Tensions are escalating between Al-Azhar and legislative and executive authorities over proposed legislation that would render Dar al-Ifta an "independent" institution, ending Al-Azhar's long-standing patronage of the Islamic legal body — and replacing it with state dominance and possibly tighter government control over the religious narrative. Egypt
Serious housing crisis creeps up on Iraq Iraq is facing a difficcult housing crisis due to oil prices dropping amid the coronavirus pandemic. Iraq
Murder in street brings Jordanian women out in force Protesters gathered in Amman twice this week despite COVID-19 restrictions to demonstrate against last week’s so-called honor killing of a woman and demand changes to the law. Jordan
Panic downriver as Ethiopia's mega dam hits first-year target Ethiopia's controversial dam on the Nile River has reportedly already met its first-year filling target despite the ongoing disagreements with Egypt and Sudan over its impacts on countries further down the Nile. Egypt
Baptismal relic latest focus of opposing narratives The Israeli authorities have stolen an archaeological stone relic from the home of a Palestinian official in the West Bank, claiming it was Israel’s in the first place. Palestine
