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
French president demands Iran release anthropologist dual citizen Emmanuel Macron made the comments on the one-year anniversary of Fariba Adelkah's imprisonment. Iran
Iran demanded Florida doctor in exchange for Michael White Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson says the Iranians conditioned White's freedom on Majid Taheri's release. United States
How Lebanese banks can restore customers’ confidence Amid reports that the Lebanese government plans to merge and liquidate some banks, citizens are concerned about their deposits while the economic situation continues to deteriorate. Lebanon
Palestinians reveal Israeli alternatives to two-state solution Palestinians seem to be caught between a rock and a hard place with Israel’s shifting away from a two-state solution and the diminishing chances of such an option after the announcement of the US Middle East peace plan. Palestine
Is Islamic State making a comeback in Sinai? A researcher says repeated attacks by Islamic militants in Sinai show that Egyptian forces must be ever vigilant. Egypt
Netanyahu’s dilemma over his annexation plan Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must now decide whether he wants to go ahead with his annexation plan, or hope that the White House will get him out of it. Palestine
Mohamed Ali returns to slam Sisi on COVID-19 — is anyone listening? Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian construction contractor who last year called for protests against Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, has recently appeared on social media, accusing the government of failing to deal with the coronavirus outbreak. Egypt
China apparently left out of Israel's 5G network tender The first phase of the tender for building the 5G wireless network in Israel has passed its deadline, with Chinese bidders apparently left out. Israel
Jordan Valley Palestinians watch as Israel imposes authority ahead of looming annexation Israel has intensified its measures in West Bank areas facing the threat of annexation at a time when Palestinians feel the imminence of the annexation project more than ever. Palestine
Sudanese immigrants in Lebanon try crossing border into Israel In recent months, Sudanese refugees have been trying to enter Israel by slipping across the tense border with Lebanon. Israel
Intel: US warns Middle Eastern partners against Chinese investment The State Department’s top official overseeing US policy in the Middle East warned countries in the region against accepting Chinese investment, contracts and coronavirus aid during a virtual interview with the Middle East Institute today. Israel
Russia says it delivered MiG-29 fighter aircraft to Syria Wednesday's Russian statement, backing up one made by Syria on Saturday, came after the United States accused Russia on May 26 of delivering aircraft to Libya via Syria. Syria
