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
East Jerusalem medical community braces for spike in coronavirus cases East Jerusalem hospitals are preparing for the potential of overcrowding if the mitigation efforts to restrict coronavirus patients fails to lower those affected. Palestine
Can Russia, Saudi Arabia strike new OPEC+ deal with US help? As the OPEC+ deal has expired, Russia and Saudi Arabia remain at odds, though the United States offered encouraging words that production cuts might be negotiated. Saudi Arabia
Palestinian government tells workers in Israel to come home The Palestinian government has asked workers in Israel to return in light of the spread of the coronavirus in Israel and the mistreatment of Palestinian workers. Palestine
Facing the music of the Holocaust in Turkey Turkey has long claimed that it has saved many Jews twice in history, but how true is that? Turkey
Putin sees opportunity in Syria's COVID-19 crisis Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the dispatch of medical assistance to help Syria combat the spread of the novel coronavirus, but his real objective is far from altruistic. Syria
Intel: US stands down on Europe’s new trade mechanism with Iran Europe launched its first shipment to Iran today using a mechanism that was originally intended to function as a workaround to US sanctions in a Hail Mary bid to salvage the unraveling Iran nuclear deal. United States
Key Trump ally blasts administration for extending Iran nuclear waivers The Donald Trump administration is casting the renewal of four civil nuclear waivers as “restrictions” on Iran’s nuclear program, but Sen. Ted Cruz argues that they enable Tehran. United States
Tehran stock market could remain strong despite Iran's economic downturn Now might be a good time to list companies on Tehran’s booming stock exchange. Iran
Europe sends medical aid to Iran using sanctions workaround Iran has received medical equipment from France, Germany and Britain, under a trade mechanism that circumvents the US sanctions on the country, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. United States
Iran battles coronavirus amid dramatic slump in oil income The Iranian government says it is experiencing its lowest oil revenues in a decade amid the coronavirus pandemic. United States
Ankara cracks down on efforts by medical groups, opposition to address pandemic Complaining of a lack of transparency, the Turkish Medical Association began publishing its own figures tracking the virus' spread Tuesday to the displeasure of the government, which has also halted donation drives initiated by opposition mayors. Turkey
Intel: Erdogan, Trump talk coronavirus US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the COVID-19 crisis by phone today, the White House announced. Turkey
