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
Intel: Pompeo, Cavusoglu discuss US-Turkey coronavirus cooperation Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed US-Turkish COVID-19 cooperation during a phone call with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday. Turkey
Iraq takes action against bogus social media posts Fake social media accounts have been spreading misinformation and leaked documents for political and criminal ends. Iraq
Netanyahu asks to be excused from showing up at corruption trial Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose new government was sworn in Sunday, is trying to avoid having to appear before the court at the start of his corruption trial Sunday. Israel
Qatar Airways mandates full-body protective gear for flight attendants Passengers will also be required to wear masks per the Gulf carrier's new onboard safety measures as it looks to expand flights amid the crisis. Qatar
Israel advances 'travel bubble' with other Mediterranean countries Israel is in talks with Greece, Cyprus and a few other countries with low infection rates about creating travel corridors for resuming international flights. Israel
Division, mixed international support sap Palestinian resources in face of annexation As Israel's possible annexation approaches, Palestinians are struggling to unite behind a realistic plan. Palestine
IMF emergency financing for Egypt mitigates coronavirus crunch The International Monetary Fund has approved a nearly $2.8 billion loan for Egypt to address its economy, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. Egypt
Egypt to export electricity to Saudi Arabia An interconnection power line between Egypt and Saudi Arabia is expected to generate important economic benefits for Egypt and boost its aspiration to become a regional energy hub. Saudi Arabia
COVID-19 ravages Turkey’s vital clothing, textile industry Turkey’s clothing and textile sector, a vital source of employment and revenues, has become the worst-hit industrial branch in the coronavirus crisis, taking both domestic and external blows. Turkey
Israel’s Benny Gantz, a defense minister with expiration date New Defense Minister Benny Gantz has a year and a half in front of him to prepare for the role of prime minister. Israel
Lebanon begins to reopen after four-day lockdown Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced Lebanon would move ahead with a five-part plan to reopen the economy. Lebanon
New banking regulations threaten press freedom in Turkey Recent measures seeking to limit damaging information on the financial system pose new threats to press freedom in Turkey. Turkey
