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
Turkish NBA player's father acquitted of terrorism charges in Turkey Boston Celtics center Enes Kanter is an outspoken critic of the Turkish government, which has led to trouble for his family back home. Turkey
Saudi Arabia to reopen Mecca mosques as cases surpass 150,000 Saudi health officials confirmed an additional 4,301 cases of the virus Friday, raising the case count to more than 150,000. Saudi Arabia
Can Trump secure release of all US hostages in Iran? Another prisoner exchange between Iran and the United States seems possible after two in just six months, but the previous exchanges have not generated any mutual trust. United States
Iraq summons Turkey, Iran as operations against Kurdish groups continue Turkey cites past agreements for its operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party in Iraq, while Iran is also targeting Kurdish groups in the country. Iraq
Netanyahu considers fourth elections, but ultra-Orthodox object Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be considering going to fourth elections, but his ultra-Orthodox allies won’t hear of that. Israel
UN nuclear watchdog urges Iran to allow inspections of old sites The watchdog agency's board hadn't issued a formal rebuke of Iran since 2012. Iran
Sexual threat against HDP leader’s wife backfires as Turks rally around women A threatening tweet against a jailed Kurdish opposition leader’s wife has Turkey up in arms against the patriarchal mindset that threatens women with sexual violence. Turkey
UAE camel racing to resume following a five-month hiatus The United Arab Emirates announced the resumption of camel racing, coupled with precautionary guidelines, which is among the most popular sports in the Gulf with prizes sometimes reaching millions of dollars. United Arab Emirates
Israeli security chiefs warn that annexation could ignite the West Bank Israel’s security chiefs are presenting the political echelons all the options and grim scenarios of what could happen if annexation takes place. Palestine
Egypt takes Nile dam dispute to UN Security Council Egypt has asked the UN Security Council to weigh in on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam after tripartite negotiations with Ethiopia and Sudan faltered. Egypt
Yazidis still negotiating return of kidnapped women, children In the absence of local and international authorities, the Yazidis continue buying back their kidnapped women and children. Iraq
Iraqi protesters set sights on local governors Protesters in Iraq are demanding that provincial governors be sacked and the killers of demonstrators be found and prosecuted. Iraq
