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
Report: Some Jewish parts of West Bank to be excluded from annexation The latest Israeli media reports on annexation further deepen the rift between Israeli settlers and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Oman will make it easier for expat workers to switch jobs Under a previous order, foreign workers were barred from switching companies without explicit permission from their employers. Oman
Reactions to George Floyd murder reveal Islamist fragility in Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticizes the United States for racism while pro-government media alleges that the anti-fascist groups in the protests are being supported by outlawed groups in Turkey. Turkey
Iran says it's ready for more prisoner swaps with US In today's Iran media review, Tehran says it is ready to exchange all prisoners if "the readiness is there from the opposing side." United States
A week later, Netanyahu calls killing of autistic Palestinian a 'tragedy' More than a week after the killing of Palestinian Iyad Halak, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to condemn the incident and describe it as a tragedy. Israel
Kuwait to resume daily prayers at some mosques despite coronavirus concerns Mosques in residential and sparsely populated areas can resume daily prayers with worshippers in attendance, the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs announced. Kuwait
Turkey senses advantage in shaping Libya negotiations Ankara and Moscow might find common ground in Libya by bringing eastern and western forces to the negotiating table, excluding Khalifa Hifter. Such a prospect, however, would require pressuring Hifter’s backers. Turkey
Bedouins say Israeli police ignoring violence in their communities Some characterize the Negev as the Wild West because of the lack of law enforcement. Israel
Egypt, Italy to ink major arms deal despite human rights concerns Italy is expected to approve its largest ever military deal with Egypt despite opposition from some Italian parties. Egypt
Netanyahu connects directly with Israelis in new vlog In his new vlog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shows once again that he is a virtuoso when it comes to using social networks to bypass the media and control his messaging. Israel
China shows greater interest in Syria amid pandemic, US tensions China is looking to increase its influence in war-torn Syria, and using the coronavirus pandemic to accelerate these plans. Syria
Egypt exploits Sudan-Ethiopia tension to advance position in GERD talks As tensions increased between Sudan and Ethiopia, Egypt quickly intervened to push Khartoum to its side as trilateral negotiations on the Nile dam hit a wall over Addis Ababa’s insistence to start filling the dam in July. Egypt
