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
Egypt to develop citadel as new hub of Historic Cairo As Egypt gears up to welcome tourists next month, the country’s Supreme Council of Antiquities and Sovereign Wealth Fund signed a contract to develop Cairo’s historical area of Bab al-Azab, where the imposing Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi Citadel is located. Egypt
Turkey, Italy conduct joint submarine drill in the Mediterranean Other Mediterranean states have criticized Turkish actions in the sea recently. Turkey
Intel: Jordan’s King Abdullah pushes Congress to oppose West Bank annexation Jordan’s King Abdullah virtually met with several key lawmakers today, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to reiterate his opposition to “any unilateral measure to annex lands in the West Bank” as laid out under President Donald Trump’s peace plan. Jordan
Saudi-led coalition in Yemen intercepts ballistic missile blamed on Houthis A spokesperson for the coalition said the missile was among more than 300 launched by the rebels since 2015. Saudi Arabia
Egypt arrests prominent journalist after Al Jazeera interview Mohamed Monir, 65, is charged with joining a terrorist group and spreading false news. Egypt
Israel kicks party business off beaches An Israeli court has ruled in favor of protecting Israel’s beaches from commercial use such as keeping tents and other equipment on them. Israel
French statue considered offensive by Egyptians back in spotlight Egyptian archaeologists are taking advantage of the global anti-racism movement to renew their calls on the French government to remove a statue of Jean Francois Champollion, who deciphered hieroglyphics, kneeling on the head of a Pharaonic king. Egypt
Intel: European countries set to rebuke Iran at UN nuclear agency Iran is facing a formal rebuke by the United Kingdom, France and Germany at the United Nation’s International Atomic Energy Agency for refusing to cooperate with the agency’s inspection of two sites believed to have housed nuclear research in the past. Iraq
Amnesty blasts Bahrain, Kuwait for 'highly invasive' COVID-19 tracing apps Amnesty International has warned apps used to trace the movements of possible COVID-19 cases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Norway put the privacy of citizens at risk. Bahrain
Turkish courts reopen to backlog of press freedom cases The resumption of court hearings in Turkey has press freedom advocates anxious, amid fears of a second COVID-19 wave and ongoing pressure on the media covering the pandemic. Turkey
Intel: Trump administration threatens to withhold aid over Jordan’s refusal to extradite convicted terrorist The Donald Trump administration is considering withholding military and economic assistance to aid-dependent Jordan over its continued refusal to extradite a convicted terrorist who helped kill 15 people in a 2001 bomb attack in Israel. Originals
Iran’s Zarif seeks Russian support as US pressure builds The Iranian foreign minister went to Moscow for help against US efforts to extend an arms embargo against Iran. Russia
