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
Turkey sends philanthropist back to prison despite European ruling Turkish philanthropist Osman Kavala and 15 other defendants attended the fifth hearing of the Gezi trial today, when defense lawyers left the court room in protest of the prosecution's violation of Turkish legal norms. Turkey
Intel: Turkey downplays Erdogan’s phone call with Trump The White House disclosed Jan. 28 details of a call between President Donald Trump and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Iran’s air safety questioned after multiple flight incidents Panicked Iranians are nervously debating safety onboard domestic airliners after three airplanes nearly crashed in three consecutive days. United States
Intel: How indictment charges could spoil Netanyahu’s peace deal lovefest with Trump Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted on corruption charges Jan. 28, just before the premier was set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House for the unveiling of the long-awaited US peace plan. Israel
Why Putin needs to be part of Trump-Netanyahu peace plan Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should learn from past mistakes and offer Russian President Vladimir Putin a role and a place in the Middle East, alongside US President Donald Trump. Israel
Tents become makeshift homes for protesters seeking change in Lebanon While some protesters living in tents are jobless and others have work, they are united in seeking a better future for their fellow Lebanese. Lebanon
Egypt faces more delays in funds to build new capital The consortium of Chinese banks funding the lion’s share of Egypt's new administrative capital has delayed delivery of the loan until Egypt provides more proof of its ability to repay the funds. Egypt
Why did Egypt withhold gas from Gaza? Some argue that Egypt halted its gas imports to the Gaza Strip because of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s visit to Iran. Palestine
Will Israel go through with plan to develop Gaza gas field? Amid reports about talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to import gas to the territories, sources say the PA intends to get gas to operate Gaza’s power plant and solve its acute power crisis. Qatar
Sudanese troops continue exit from war-stricken Yemen Sudan's military contingent in Yemen has been reduced to a symbolic presence as the main players in the Saudi-led coalition scale back their fighting. Saudi Arabia
Tunisia’s youth seek role in forming new government After parliament recently rejected Tunisia’s first effort at forming a new government since the September election, the president has apparently responded to young people's demand to have a political voice. Tunisia
Intel: What’s behind Israel’s latest decision to allow travel to Saudi Arabia Israeli citizens are now allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for the first time in the country’s history. Saudi Arabia
