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
Libyan front looks bleak for Erdogan While struggling to achieve its objectives in Syria, Ankara has helped Damascus gain a new ally in the opponents of the forces Turkey is backing in Libya. Syria
Women bid goodbye to their submerged homes in ancient town of Turkey Women whose houses are left underwater due to the Ilisu Dam vow to keep their memories alive. Turkey
In Moscow, Hamas offers 4 plans for Palestinian unity Russia once again is working with Palestinian factions to unite them and help them defy Washington's plan for peace with Israel. Palestine
Coronavirus sickens Turkish-Iraqi trade Turkey's decision to close its only border crossing with Iraq amid a spike in coronavirus cases there will deal a great blow to the country's economy, costing some $1 billion monthly. Iraq
Why new Russia-Turkey deal on Idlib matters The new deal between Russia and Turkey over Syria’s Idlib is temporary — but important. Syria
Syrian Kurds worry IS camp could riot as Turkey weaponizes water As Turkey and Russia reach an agreement to stop the fighting in Idlib, the Kurdish-run administration in northern Syria has said Ankara's restrictions on its water supply could pose a major threat to security. Syria
Have Iraqi religious centers contributed to the spread of coronavirus? With the increase in the number of coronavirus victims in Iraq, the role of religious centers in curbing the spread of COVID-19 has come under scrutiny. Saudi Arabia
Iran’s coronavirus has no politics and can’t be contained UAE, Gulf take proactive steps to get ahead of outbreak, but region is already paying a heavy price. Saudi Arabia
Iran presents national strategy to fight coronavirus Iran’s Health Ministry has initiated a nationwide program to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Iran
Iraq's Falcon Intelligence Cell wants to root out corruption The head of the Falcon Intelligence Cell, Abu Ali al-Basri, spoke to Al-Monitor about the lingering Islamic State presence in the country and discussed his idea of setting up a similar team to fight corruption. Iraq
Israel’s third election only intensified political chaos Four days after the elections in Israel, all the different sides are still squabbling among themselves as if the election isn’t over yet. Israel
Egypt's Coptic philanthropist nominated for Nobel Prize Visits to the garbage slums of Cairo transformed Magda Gobran — a businesswoman and an academic with a comfortable life — to Mama Maggie of the poor. Egypt
