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
Israel's deadline after the deadline Blue and White leader Benny Gantz has 48 hours to choose between a fourth round of elections and a unity government under conditions orchestrated by Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Egyptian village cordoned off amid coronavirus outbreak The Egyptian government imposed a lockdown on a village in Giza governorate after discovering several cases of the coronavirus, but it is helping the residents to get through this. Egypt
Arab party next leader of Israel’s left-wing camp? With the Jewish left-wing parties crumbling, the Arab Joint List seeks to lead the camp and appeal also to Jewish voters. Israel
Egyptian MP proposes compulsory citizen donations to fight COVID-19 An Egyptian parliamentarian is planning to submit a bill obliging citizens to make donations to a government fund in order to help in the fight against the coronavirus, with some saying mandatory donations are illegal and a form of taxation. Egypt
Banks can't save Gulf economies Because of the way they are set up, GCC banks will have a hard time providing the funds that could help jump-start regional economies as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to take its toll. Legacy: Gulf
Intel: Pro-Israel super PAC warns Netanyahu against West Bank annexation The leaders of a prominent pro-Israel super PAC with close ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rivals against moving forward with plans to annex Israeli settlements in the West Bank, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported today. Israel
Netanyahu’s moment of truth Israel may be headed for its fourth set of elections in a little more than a year. Israel
Iran warns of economic fallout from coronavirus as ‘low-risk’ shops reopen As its death toll from the coronavirus hits 4,585, Iran — desperate to get the economy going — allows an assortment of shops to reopen and lifts its ban on travel between provinces. Originals
Reports of child abuse in Turkey spike amid pandemic A prominent children's rights activist told Al-Monitor that complaints of child abuse incidents have doubled since the closure of the schools amid the coronavirus pandemic. Turkey
Iran welcomes Iraq’s new prime minister In today’s Iranian media roundup, officials and news outlets have reacted to the appointment of Iraq’s new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi with praise and expressions of confidence. Iraq
Intel: US signals support for Iraq’s latest prime minister-designate Secretary of State Michael Pompeo signaled support for Iraq’s newest prime minister-designate, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, in a statement today. Iraq
Gaza resumes coronavirus testing, but equipment remains in short supply COVID-19 testing has resumed in the Gaza Strip with kits from the World Health Organization, but testing supplies will soon run out again in the impoverished enclave. Palestine
