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
Iraq’s post-pandemic future depends on breaking Iran’s hold The Trump administration tells Iraq it faces a 'decision point' in choosing America or Iran. Iraq
Intel: Trump administration to cut Yemen aid amid potential coronavirus cease-fire The Donald Trump administration is preparing to cut most humanitarian aid to Yemen amid progress on a potential cease-fire between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthi rebels. Yemen
Armed troops to enforce stay-home order in Israel Israeli soldiers are enforcing a partial lockdown in the country, where COVID-19 cases have surged. Israel
Government's opacity makes Turkey’s war on COVID-19 harder Keen to minimize the political and economic repercussions of the coronavirus outbreak, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has pursued a policy of opacity, keeping the public from fully grasping the graveness of the threat. Turkey
Iran's art community wades into coronavirus fight The Iranian artistic community is going the extra mile to boost the nation’s morale as it battles through the coronavirus epidemic. Iran
Netanyahu’s shameful civics lesson for young Israelis The dismissiveness of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toward the courts, minorities rights and rule of law has seeped into the nation's matriculation exams. Israel
Israel's Arab parties recalculate as Gantz joins Netanyahu Blue and White leader Benny Gantz' decision to join a government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has deeply disappointed the Arab public. Israel
After Gantz, will Israeli Arabs ever return to the ballot box? Blue and White leader Benny Gantz forming a unity government with Benjamin Netanyahu has deflated the hopes of Arab Israelis of participating in national politics as equals, raising doubts that they will follow the urging of their representatives to take part in future elections. Israel
Iraqi prime minister-designate faces challenges in gaining political support Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Adnan al-Zurfi is struggling to secure the needed parliamentary votes for his Cabinet. Iraq
West Bank camps, disappointed with UNRWA, take initiative to fight coronavirus Palestinians in West Bank refugee camps form emergency committees to battle COVID-19, as some say the UN relief agency is not doing enough. Palestine
COVID-19 expenses upending PA budget formulation As the PA struggles to cope with an ongoing financial crisis, the novel coronavirus is making things worse. Palestine
Old Gazan factory restored to produce protective suits amid pandemic Amid fears of catastrophic consequences in case of a coronavirus outbreak in the besieged Gaza Strip, two Palestinians took the lead and started a factory to produce protective suits. Palestine
