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
200,000 watch Israeli-Palestinian memorial service online This year's joint Israeli-Palestinian memorial ceremony was streamed online because of the pandemic, but the controversy it raised was nothing new. Palestine
Islamic State conducts attacks near Iraq’s Syrian and Iranian borders A number of attacks in Iraq’s bordering province, especially Diyala along the Iranian border, have raised concern. Islamic State fighters have filmed themselves with weapons that appear to be of Iranian origin, while security gaps remain due to tension between the KRG and Baghdad. Iraq
Palestinian PM's COVID-19 response gets high marks, but will it be enough? Palestinians are generally very happy with the performance of their prime minister in confronting the coronavirus and can easily see him as president; the harder question is whether there will be a Palestine to be president of. Palestine
Idlib jihadist group uses Syria cease-fire to restructure, expand Hayat Tahrir al-Sham has announced the formation of three new brigades in what seems to be preparations for an upcoming battle in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib. Syria
Can anyone stop Netanyahu’s annexation plans? A formidable array of figures is working in public and behind the scenes to block Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to annex West Bank lands. Saudi Arabia
Egypt tightens sanctions for those who refuse to wear protective masks Egypt’s parliament approved a new bill that punishes citizens with imprisonment or a fine if they refuse to bury coronavirus victims or wear protective masks. Egypt
Egypt kicks off more Sinai development projects Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has inaugurated a series of major development projects in the Sinai Peninsula, long a hotbed for terrorism. Egypt
Coronavirus imposes different reality for Palestinians during Ramadan Authorities in Gaza and the West Bank face big challenges trying to stanch the spread of the novel coronavirus during Ramadan, which usually involves social visits and group prayers. Palestine
Syrian Kurdish parties resume talks, in secret Rival Kurdish parties in northeastern Syria have began US-sponsored reconciliation talks after repeated delays in the past and in the hope of joining the UN-sponsored peace process to resolve the Syrian conflict. Syria
Iran pushes back against US plan for snapback sanctions Iran’s foreign minister said United States is dreaming if it thinks it can claim it is still a participant in the nuclear deal in order to trigger snapback sanctions. United States
Iraq receives another short waiver to US sanctions on Iranian gas The United States granted Iraq 30 more days to continue importing Iranian gas in contrast with longer sanctions waivers in the past. Iraq
Intel: Pompeo links Iran satellite launch to erosion of nuclear deal Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed Iran’s recent launch of a military satellite into orbit last week during a phone call today with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian. United States
