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
Who are Sadr's Blue Hats in Iraq and what side are they on? Prominent Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has kept his "Blue Hats" busy, calling on followers to change direction, often with his political whims. Iraq
Gantz bloc flounders as Netanyahu’s stabilizes Blue and White head Benny Gantz' rejection of forming a government with the Joint List has left the Israeli election campaign even more deadlocked than the two previous ones. Israel
Lebanon to ask IMF for technical help with economic crisis Amid a deepening financial and monetary crisis plaguing Lebanon, a government source announced that the country is to officially request the IMF’s help. Lebanon
Palestinian architect turns conservation of heritage into resistance Nadia Habash, named by Middle East Architect magazine as one of 50 influential architects in the region, says preserving heritage is a national statement. Palestine
Egypt’s non-oil private sector activity declines despite banking flourishing Egypt's non-oil private sector growth has decreased to its lowest level in three years, affecting the country's private sector and undermining a campaign to boost private sector companies. Egypt
Hamas, Fatah push ahead on reconciliation to counter US peace plan The US peace plan has left no choice for Hamas and Fatah but to seek an end to Palestinian division, which was made clear in the efforts to revive this file and draft a unified strategy to counter the US proposal. Palestine
Iran FM phones Abbas to discuss US peace deal Given shaky relations between Iran and the Palestinian Authority, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif's phone call to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas came as a surprise. Palestine
Trump budget spotlights Tunisia in pitch to overhaul foreign military aid The State Department is dangling potential US aircraft sales to Tunisia as part of its pitch to overhaul foreign military aid. Iraq
Is tourism the antidote to youth unemployment in Oman? Omani officials aim to create over 500,000 jobs in the tourism sector by 2040. Legacy: Gulf
Abbas at UN gives muted rejection to Trump ‘annexation’ plan The White House declares victory as the UN Security Council holds off on issuing a resolution reiterating old parameters for a two-state solution. Palestine
Intel: Turkish demands on Idlib complicate Russia’s pursuit of compromise Following last week's large-scale Turkish military deployment in the Idlib de-escalation zone to prevent the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from further advancing, a new attack by the Syrian army led to the death of five more Turkish troops. Syria
Turkish activists brace for ruling in landmark protest trial Defendants charged with attempting to topple the Turkish government during mass 2013 protests return to court next week and verdict is expected soon after the prosecutor asked for life sentences for three of the accused. Turkey
