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
Why protesters want Lebanon’s new government to pass a new electoral law Protesters in Lebanon are demanding the new government to formulate a new electoral law they hope will bring independents to power and eliminate the sectarian-based system that has governed the country for decades. Lebanon
A united response to Trump’s Mideast deal in a divided Yemen Yemen’s Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government have both rejected the US Middle East peace plan. Yemen
Escalation in Syria and Libya tests limits of Erdogan-Putin ties The recent escalation in Libya and Syria has put on display the limits of the relationship between the Turkish and Russian presidents. Syria
Will Tunisia have a seat in future Libyan dialogues? Tunisia appears to have lost an opportunity to garner international support to help it cope with the crisis in neighboring Libya when it rejected an invitation to the Berlin conference. Algeria
Syrian Kurds seek relief from plummeting pound The depreciation of the Syrian pound is so bad that Qamishli residents are struggling to buy basic goods, when available, and is forcing some to leave in search of financial stability. Syria
Liberman accused of double standards on drafting ultra-Orthodox A report on ultra-Orthodox exemptions from military service while top politician Avigdor Liberman served as defense minister has raised serious questions about his campaign to increase their enlistment. Israel
What brought Iranian forces to Idlib front? A number of developments, including Turkey's greater involvement in Syria and the US assassination of Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, may be driving Iran's move to get more involved in Idlib battlefield operations. Syria
Intel: Erdogan accuses Russia of 'negligence' while signing military aid deal with Ukraine Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Ukraine today to sign a deal providing the Ukrainian army with assistance funding, amid mounting tensions in Turkish-Russian relations following the death of at least eight Turks in Idlib during an exchange of fire with Russian-backed Syrian regime forces. Syria
Turkey says dozens killed in clashes with Syrian troops Turkey shelled some 50 Syrian government targets after its soldiers came under attack in Idlib province in fighting that threatens to drag Turkey deeper into the prolonged conflict and undermine its relations with Russia. Syria
Intel: Jamal Khashoggi’s fiancee to attend Trump’s State of the Union address Jamal Khashoggi’s widow will be watching President Donald Trump as he discusses his record in the Middle East at his annual State of the Union address on Tuesday. United States
Iran's Zarif says Swiss humanitarian channel 'small step' Iran has welcomed the new channel with Switzerland, which will allow the delivery of medicine. But it expects more from Europe in fulfilling its end of the nuclear deal. United States
Netanyahu back in charge after scoring points in US, Uganda A diplomacy blitz and another maneuvers have put Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu back in control of the Israeli election agenda. Israel
