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
Can Saudi Arabia fix Yemen’s anti-Houthi coalition? Following the breakdown of the Riyadh agreement, and renewed fighting in April, Saudi Arabia hosted the STC president to discuss the situation, but it remains doubtful the Gulf state can offer an easy solution if the war with the Houthis is not settled first. Saudi Arabia
Intel: Trump administration pursues new Saudi arms deal despite investigation The Donald Trump administration is doubling down with a new arms deal for Saudi Arabia despite an investigation into last year’s $8 billion emergency weapons sale to Riyadh, a key Senate Democrat revealed in a CNN op-ed Wednesday. Saudi Arabia
Intel: Trump administration defended Iran nuclear waivers as 'restrictions,' then ended them The Donald Trump administration ended sanctions waivers on Iranian nuclear facilities today — a mere two months after characterizing them as “restrictions” on Iran’s nuclear program. Russia
The Takeaway: Hagel: “I don’t think we can afford to abandon Iraq” Highlights: In new Al-Monitor podcast, former secretary of defense also expresses concern about open-ended combat missions, describes his relationship with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, and explains why he backs Joe Biden for president. And more on Egypt, Turkey and Jordan. Originals
Iran arrests man over ‘honor killing’ of 14-year-old daughter According to local media, 14-year-old Romina Ashrafi was beheaded in her sleep. Iran
Saudi airlines to start domestic flights again Saudi Arabia has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, but is continuing with plans to reopen despite a significant number of new infections daily. Saudi Arabia
Settlers argue over Netanyahu’s annexation plan Much to everyone’s surprise, there is growing opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's annexation plan among the settlers’ leadership. Palestine
Intractable war in Libya risks becoming the next Syria: French foreign minister French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves le Drian warned of the "Syrianization" of war-torn Libya. Libya
Erdogan dashes hopes of Turkey-Israel reconciliation The resumption of El Al cargo flights to Turkey does not mean that relations between Israel and Ankara have thawed. Israel
Putin appoints third special envoy to Syria Putin's decision to appoint a new special envoy for developing relations with Syria likely has several aims, including to balance military and diplomatic involvement in Russia's Syria policy. Syria
Missile strike on Yemeni military base kills 7, including top general’s son The Saudi-backed Yemeni government blamed the attack, which killed the son and nephew of the military's chief of staff, on Houthi rebels. Saudi Arabia
Turkey cautiously reopens after national Eid curfew Mosques, restaurants and stores prepare to gradually reopen with new coronavirus precautions in Turkey after four-day nationwide curfew for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Turkey
