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
Syrian refugees in Jordan build robot to fight coronavirus A group of young Syrians in Jordan’s Zaatari camp designed a sanitizing robot to help prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. Jordan
Drama in Israel’s Knesset: Swearing-in ceremony of new government delayed The national-unity government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has not been established yet, but already suffers from obstacles. Israel
How Jordan’s refusal to extradite a convicted terrorist could imperil $1.5 billion in US aid Conservative Republicans are turning to a new law that could cut Jordan off from as much as $1.5 billion in US assistance unless it agrees to extradite a woman who helped bomb an Israeli restaurant in 2001. Jordan
Intel: US contracts Boeing to build new cruise missiles for Saudi Arabia, Qatar The US Navy awarded Boeing a nearly $2 billion contract Wednesday to provide Saudi Arabia with 650 new land attack cruise missiles, as well as to upgrade existing ones by the end of 2028. Saudi Arabia
US military calls Iranian navy friendly fire incident 'tragic' in statement The US military offers its condolences to Iran, but also criticizes the Islamic Republic for holding the training exercise in a high-traffic body of water, the Gulf of Oman. United States
Palestinian car-ramming suspect shot dead as tensions over West Bank rise The Israeli army says the Palestinian teenager deliberately hit a soldier with his car in a settlement near Hebron. Palestine
Secret operation brings Israelis stranded in Morocco back home In a complicated operation, Israelis stuck in Morocco because of the coronavirus were finally brought home. United Arab Emirates
Syrians held in Turkish prison 'in breach of international law,' advocates say Scores of Syrians detained after Turkey's Operation Peace Spring began in October have been accused of links to the Kurdistan Workers Party and moved to a prison in Sanliurfa, Turkey. Syria
Have taxes killed GCC economic integration? Saudi Arabia's recent decision to increase its value-added tax by 200% could spell the end of chances for regional economic integration and policy coordination. Saudi Arabia
Pentagon says Damascus, Moscow exploit discontent in Kurdish-controlled Syria A US military report accuses Russia and the Syrian regime of using Arab discontent in eastern Syria to undermine the Kurdish-led administration. Syria
Iranian tanker on way to Venezuela despite US pressure The tanker passed through the Suez Canal on Wednesday. United States
PKK attacks Turkish military base in Kurdistan Region of Iraq The attack comes amid intra-Kurdish tensions in Iraq over the PKK's and Turkey's presence in the country. Iraq
