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
Will Turkish drones help Ukraine reclaim territory? As the Ukrainian news media buzzes with speculation that Ukraine may be planning to reclaim control of Donbass by Turkish drones, direct involvement by Turkey in the Ukraine-Russia conflict would cost Ankara dearly in its relations with Moscow. Turkey
Egypt embarks on ambitious Red Sea yacht harbor project Egypt has begun construction of a yacht harbor in Dahab to promote yacht tourism with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries. Saudi Arabia
Egypt targets businessmen over alleged ties to Brotherhood Egyptian authorities stepped up their crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood, this time arresting a number of businessmen they accuse of funding the group’s activities. Egypt
Is Egypt ready to turn page on Gulf crisis with Qatar? Egypt has welcomed the recent Kuwaiti efforts to end the Gulf crisis pitting a Saudi-led bloc of nations, including Egypt, against Qatar. Qatar
Iran’s budget banking on US lifting sanctions The projected reliance on oil revenues is wildly optimistic, likely making the budget a wish list, at best. Iran
Normalization with Morocco warms Israeli hearts Unlike the normalization deals with Bahrain and with the United Arab Emirates, the imminent deal between Israel and Morocco will be built on centuries of common history and heritage. Israel
Birth in the desert: Team of nurses, Zoom deliver baby in al-Rukban Syrians stranded in al-Rukban camp near the border with Jordan have been living under harsh conditions for years, and even childbirth has become very risky. Originals
Hamas prisoners elect leadership behind bars Despite being locked away in Israeli prisons, Hamas members elect a new leadership body every two years that wields great influence within the movement and participates in its major decisions. Palestine
Dozens killed, injured in Iraq’s Kurdistan protests as some consider leaving Protests in the southeastern part of the Kurdistan Region over unpaid public sector salaries amid an ongoing budget dispute with Baghdad have led to several deaths. Iraq
To save himself, Netanyahu might agree to keep rotation agreement Shocked by Likud’s Gideon Saar establishing his own, rival party, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might be forced to back off his campaign for new elections. Israel
Ex-Israeli space program head claims aliens exist and Trump is aware Haim Eshed told an Israeli newspaper that the US government had struck an "agreement" with the extraterrestrials. Israel
US deploys long-range bombers, aircraft carrier to Middle East to deter Iran The B-52 deployment comes amid the return of the USS Nimitz to the Persian Gulf. United States
