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
Are Netanyahu, Bennett preparing Jordan Valley annexation? Blue and White leader Benny Gantz must beware of right-wing ministers such as Defense Minister Naftali Bennett trying to establish facts on the ground before the unity government is established. Palestine
Turkey expands quarantine to towns across country to fight coronavirus Dozens of towns, villages and neighborhoods are under strict stay-at-home orders as COVID-19 disease took 37 more lives today. Originals
54 inmates on the run after Iran prison break Seventy-four prisoners escaped from a prison in the Kurdistan province of Iran amid fears that the country's overcrowded prisons will suffer under the coronavirus. Iran
How will the COVID-19 crisis impact US-Iran tensions? If Iran can hold out long enough against COVID-19, Tehran and Washington might be able to come to terms. United States
Saudi Arabia says it will pay for coronavirus patients' treatment Saudi Arabia has the highest known rate of coronavirus infection in the Gulf, with eight deaths so far out of over a thousand cases. Saudi Arabia
Iran's Zarif says fighting COVID-19 a global effort Iran warns the combination of US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic makes global cooperation imperative to fighting the virus in Iran. Iran
Syrian Kurds say no escapees after IS prison revolt Kurdish forces have put down a prison revolt in northeast Syria, where Islamic State detainees were apparently protesting their conditions, likely in fear of the coronavirus pandemic. Syria
Netanyahu self-isolates after adviser tests positive for coronavirus Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in isolation after his adviser on ultra-Orthodox issues was diagnosed with COVID-19. Israel
There's little left of Israel’s left By deciding to join the Netanyahu-Gantz government, Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz put the final nail in the coffin of the party that founded the State of Israel. Palestine
Why Gantz needed to replace Netanyahu's Knesset speaker If Blue and White leader Benny Gantz caves in to the Likud and lets them have the position of Knesset speaker, he would significantly weaken the Israeli parliament and damage Israel’s democracy. Israel
Iraq’s PMU throws weight behind countering COVID-19 Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units, despite being plagued by disunity recently, is assisting the Iraqi government in fighting the novel coronavirus. Iraq
Egypt battles COVID-19 amid flood of misinformation, conspiracy theories As Egypt fights the spread of COVID-19, misinformation and conspiracy theories are making it difficult for Egyptians to distinguish fact from fiction. Egypt
