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
Erdogan's Libya strategy: Jump first, think later By openly taking sides in Libya, Turkey could end up undermining the clout it believes it has gained in that country. Syria
Hamas says rise in arrests is related to coming elections Fatah and Hamas are exchanging accusations about arrests of their members in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with each side claiming the other is trying to influence elections that haven't even been scheduled yet. Palestine
Pentagon steers away from brain trauma diagnoses after Iranian strike Donald Trump downplayed the injuries of US troops stemming from an Iranian missile strike. Iraq
Intel: Iraq bank set to halt Iran gas transfers as US sanctions waiver expires The Trade Bank of Iraq is expected to stop processing payments to Iran if US sanction exemptions expire next month. Iraq
Iraq president calls for restraint after meeting Trump in Davos Stressing the need for reforms to address youth unemployment and security, Iraqi President Barham Salih said "this is not time for another conflict" after meeting with his US counterpart in Davos. Iraq
Will Russia provide missiles to 'close the entire sky' over Iran? Given the recent escalation in tension between Tehran and Washington, Moscow is examining ways to possibly beef up Iranian military capabilities. Russia
‘Pro bono’ lobbyists bet on regime change payday Unpaid lobbying contracts can lead to lucrative connections by helping the right people get into power. Lebanon
Turkish state seizes foundation linked to Erdogan political rival State authorities have taken over a second institution linked to former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who resigned last year from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party to form his own. Turkey
IRGC officer gunned down in Iran's southwest Unknown gunmen have shot dead the commander of a local branch of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in the country's southwest. Iran
In historic development, Israel exports natural gas to Egypt Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz explains all the historic aspects of Israel exporting natural gas to Egypt. Egypt
UN fingers Israeli spyware firm in Bezos hack UN investigators say Saudi use of NSO Group software was the “most likely explanation” for the hacking attack against the Amazon CEO. Saudi Arabia
