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
Turkey continues to oust Kurdish mayors, replace with trustees Four mayors have been detained in Turkey's Kurdish-majority southeast, the latest in ongoing efforts by the government to suppress Kurdish political participation in the country. Turkey
Intel: Trump’s religious freedom envoy ‘pleased’ with Iran’s release of Bahai’s President Donald Trump’s envoy for international religious freedom welcomed the release of some Baha’i political prisoners by Iran and by Yemen’s Houthi rebels while also noting concerns about Iran's treatment of the religious group. Yemen
Lebanese bank official arrested for alleged currency manipulation Lebanon's central bank denied the allegations; the Lebanese pound's value has decreased significantly amid the ongoing economic crisis. Lebanon
Qatar to dole out $55,000 fines, jail time for not wearing face masks Masks are mandatory for all Qataris who leave their homes, except when driving alone. Qatar
Turkey needs flexible foreign policy now more than ever Turkey needs to adopt a softer foreign policy to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it's triggered, but the government's rhetoric makes such a shift highly unlikely. Turkey
'Double disaster' in Yemen as funding runs dry during COVID-19 outbreak In Yemen, where the health care system is dangerously overstretched and aid cuts threaten what remains, health care workers warn the country's battle against the novel coronavirus is only beginning. Yemen
China calls top US diplomat's comments in Israel 'absurd' US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said China was not being forthcoming about the coronavirus and critiqued Israel-China ties in Jerusalem this week. Israel
Gulf’s megaprojects face delays, reassessment Saudi Arabia has cut capital expenditure for a number of Vision 2030 projects amid a drop in oil prices and Chinese investment. Will other Gulf states follow suit? Saudi Arabia
Turks celebrate Ramadan under shadow of pandemic From masked drummers to online pide contests, Turks are bringing new twists to Ramadan in the coronavirus era. Turkey
South Yemen in tumult as Yemen government, separatists face off in Abyan Saudi-backed government forces in Yemen launched an offensive in the southern province of Abyan against UAE-backed southern secessionists who declared self-rule in the southern governorates last month. Saudi Arabia
Few Palestinians in Jerusalem covet Israeli citizenship Today, only 15% of Palestinian residents of Jerusalem say they want Israeli rather than Palestinian citizenship, likely a result of support from Turkey, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas. Palestine
Gantz introduces Israel's first female ultra-Orthodox minister Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has tapped legislator Omer Yankelevich as diaspora minister in the new unity government, the first ultra-Orthodox woman to lead a ministry. Israel
