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
Iran’s wildfires leave trail of destruction, lingering questions Wildfires that raged for two weeks turned significant swaths of Iran’s western forests into ash as state bureaucracy dramatically slowed down an efficient response. Iran
Three Katyusha rockets land near Baghdad’s airport The Iraqi military said no one was injured or killed in the attack near Baghdad's airport late Monday. Iraq
Israel, Greek prime ministers showcase bilateral alliance The visit in Israel of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis reflects a growing convergence of interests between the two countries. Israel
Netanyahu edges back to reality as support for annexation wanes After warnings by the US administration that he needs to have Blue and White on board with his plan, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may settle for a limited, symbolic annexation. Israel
Netanyahu's associates escalate campaign against legal system Supporters of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu increase their campaign against the legal system, Attorney General Avichai Mandeblit and the courts. Israel
Egypt's lucrative blood plasma black market Selling the plasma of COVID-19 survivors has become a profitable illegal business, after the minister of health announced that using survivor plasma to treat coronavirus patients has proven effective. Egypt
Palestinians reject aid from UAE again The Palestinian Authority accuses the UAE of seeking to normalize ties with Israel after the UAE sends a medical aid flight to Israel. United Arab Emirates
Will Cairo succeed in stopping Ethiopian control over Nile waters? Egypt accuses Ethiopia of procrastinating in the renewed negotiation sessions on the Nile Dam in order to begin filling the controversial dam. Egypt
Tunisia still has much to do to eliminate racism Racism remains heavily present in Tunisian society, as black people are subject to discrimination on a daily basis. Originals
Turkey, Qatar, UAE among donors of virus-related aid to sub-Saharan Africa The Center for Strategic and International Studies listed the countries as among 12 that have given medical aid directly to African states. Turkey
Battleground state Democrats warn against annexation after AIPAC greenlights criticism Eight Senate candidates in battleground states are warning Israel against annexing the West Bank after the American Israel Public Affairs Committee greenlit the criticism. Israel
Hamas calls for ‘resistance’ against Israel’s West Bank annexation plans A senior Hamas official called for the proposed annexation to be met with resistance among Palestinian groups. Palestine
