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
Saudi Arabia again easing anti-virus restrictions The Gulf country is still recording more than 2,000 COVID-19 cases per day. Saudi Arabia
Bethlehem, Jerusalem churches reopen to limited number of worshipers The Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity opened to tourists and worshippers Tuesday for the first time since March. Palestine
'Baby face' political rival puts Erdogan on edge Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has killed rumors that his ruling party may gamble on snap elections to retain its 18-year grip on power, but he's clearly feeling the heat. Turkey
Jordanian government employees return to work Most civil servants had not worked since March due to anti-virus measures. Jordan
Intel: Congress advances trans-Sahara security bill as Pentagon mulls Africa troop drawdown The Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week unanimously advanced long-stalled legislation to formally institutionalize a counterterrorism partnership with numerous North African and Sahel states. North Africa
Iran claims it circumvents US sanctions with shipments to Venezuela Venezuelan officials welcome the second Iranian tanker carrying gasoline to the Latin American nation; three more vessels are on their way. Iran
Will Israel fully legalize use of cannabis? Several ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new government support the full legalization of cannabis use. Israel
Syrian government lifts nightly curfew despite uptick in coronavirus cases The Syrian Ministry of Health has registered 121 coronavirus cases and a death toll of four in areas under regime control. Syria
US warns of NATO security threat as Russian jets arrive in Libya The fighter aircraft were delivered via Syria, where they were reportedly painted "to camouflage their Russian origin." Turkey
Sexual abuse suspect fit to stand trial in Australia, says Israeli court After six years of discussions and contradictory psychiatric opinions, the Jerusalem District Court ruled that Malka Leifer, a suspect in Australian sexual assault cases, is mentally fit to stand trial. Israel
Iraq registers jump in COVID-19 cases during Eid al-Fitr holiday The Iraqi authorities said there were 163 confirmed coronavirus cases on Monday, which was greater than the number in a single day that prompted lockdowns in Baghdad last week. Iraq
Iran reopens holy shrines amid easing of coronavirus restrictions Closed since mid-March, the religious sites are opening their doors with social distancing measures in place. Iran
