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
Magnitsky law spawns cottage industry of sanctions lobbying The Magnitsky Act is being used in unexpected ways, with lobbyists pushing for human rights sanctions against nations on behalf of corporate clients. Legacy: Gulf
Khamenei adviser calls Trump Mideast plan ‘nightmare’ Iranian officials and social media users criticized the White House plan for Israeli-Palestinian peace. Palestine
Alarm as Turkey’s ruling party moves to empower night watchmen A revived nighttime security force in Turkey may soon get the same powers as regular police, drawing protest from lawmakers and civil rights advocates. Turkey
Netanyahu wants/needs annexation before elections White House advisers Jason Greenblatt and Jared Kushner object Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intention to annex settlements before the March 2 elections, but Netanyahu has no intention of giving up. Palestine
A $12.5 billion question: Why did Erdogan unshelve his ‘crazy project’? By reviving a controversial waterway project, Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks to regain control over Istanbul — which he lost in last year’s polls — test whether the project could serve him well in an early election attempt, and eventually gratify his supporters by creating rent. Turkey
Intel: Democrats push Trump administration to crack down on Saudi prince Emboldened by the latest United Nations report implicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in hacking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ phone, Democrats are pushing the Donald Trump administration to toughen up on the Saudi heir. Saudi Arabia
Pentagon: Turkey’s deployment to Libya threatens escalation The United States' top military officer in Africa has warned that Ankara's decision to send troops to Libya "risks a significant escalation." Turkey
Will Turkish-trained Syrian police help restore security in area held by Turkish forces? The situation in Syria’s Operation Peace Spring area in northern Syria does not bode well for refugees wishing to return home from Turkey, with ongoing car bombs and explosions despite efforts by local councils to restore stability. Syria
Rival Palestinian factions unite against US 'deal of century' Hamas and Islamic Jihad officials attended an emergency Palestinian leadership meeting in Ramallah to discuss how to respond to the US administration's peace plan, and another meeting is planned this week in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Netanyahu's land of the settlers Did Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really think that he could fool US President Donald Trump and announce annexation of the West Bank without an angry response from the Americans? Palestine
PMU factions set conditions for next Iraqi prime minister Some pro-Iran factions of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units are demanding that candidates for prime minister meet their standards. Iraq
Hamas hikes taxes on imports, including from West Bank Hamas has imposed new customs duties on goods entering the Gaza Strip but some believe the taxes go too far, especially when they are imposed on items coming from the West Bank. Palestine
