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
New solar park to ease Iraqi governorate's power shortage A solar energy park to be funded by the European Union is expected to help lessen Dohuk's daily power cuts in two years. Iraq
Another UN step underscoring illegality of Israeli settlements The Palestinians are banking on the newly released UN list of businesses operating in the Israeli settlements to bring those businesses before the judiciary and pressure them to end activities in the settlements. Palestine
Hamas failing to rally West Bank against US peace plan Security coordination between Israel and the Palestinian Authority is the main obstacle to Hamas’ efforts to mobilize armed resistance in the West Bank after the unveiling of the US peace plan. Palestine
Meet the artist haunted by violent moments in Turkey, Lebanon Turkey's veteran artist Hale Tenger tackles coups, destruction and political assassinations in the Middle East, using marriage of poetry and images. Lebanon
Will Manbij fighters heed the call to return home? The Manbij Military Council has called on rebel fighters from Manbij to desert their militias and return to their cities and villages. Syria
SDF avoids fight with Trump over budget cut The Trump administration's proposed 2021 budget would diminish the SDF's ability to effectively fight IS, but the coalition is unlikely to protest the steep cuts out of fear of angering Trump. Syria
Meet the AIPAC leaders bankrolling the Bernie Sanders attack ads Several high-profile AIPAC donors are bankrolling ads against Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid as the lobbying group tackles the growing criticism of Israel among Democrats. Israel
The Takeaway: February 19, 2020 Erdogan’s bad and worse options in Syria; Iran’s Assembly of Experts election another loser for Reformists; Jordan fuming over Trump peace plan...and electricity bills; and more! Originals
Far-left current rises from among Iranian hardliners Iran’s ultraconservatives have given birth to their worst nightmare — a group so left-leaning that hardliners consider them would-be communists. Iran
Edelman strikes $6 million deal with Saudis to promote G-20 business summit Saudi petrochemicals company SABIC has hired the Chicago-based PR giant to support this year’s Business 20 gathering in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia
What a Russian-Turkish compromise on Idlib may look like Although a new round of Russia-Turkey talks on Idlib failed, there are still ways to settle the conflict. Syria
Iran says Zarif met with US senator for ‘public diplomacy’ Iran’s foreign minister says his weekend meeting with a US senator in Germany was a diplomatic effort to get his nation’s voice heard by the American people. Congress
