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
Israel’s Gantz steers away from Arab voters, seeks soft-right Blue and White leader Benny Gantz does not realize that if he wants to be prime minister, he will need a high voting rate among the country’s Arab citizens. Palestine
Should social media posts disqualify Israeli Arab legislator? An attempt to block Arab Knesset member Heba Yazbak from running in the March elections for allegedly voicing support for a terrorist raises the issue of whether the same should apply to Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben-Gvir. Israel
Israel-Greece-Cyprus take on Turkey in the Mediterranean Trilateral cooperation among Israel, Greece and Cyprus to build a natural gas subsea pipeline is setting the stage for more tensions with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean. Egypt
In Syria's Daraa, wave of kidnappings, killings threatens fragile balance Residents of Daraa city are living in fear in light of increased assassinations and kidnappings often blamed on former rebels who reconciled with the government. Syria
Gaza developments portend military escalation with Israel Israel's political impasse is expected to affect the Palestinians' situation in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli intelligence believes new military confrontations will erupt as the security and humanitarian situation there continues to deteriorate. Palestine
Donald Trump, the 'divine gift' to Iranian hard-liners Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who had advocated diplomacy with the West, has lost public support after the United States' assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, giving hard-liners an opening they can easily exploit. United States
The Reformist push for Rouhani's resignation Iran's Reformists have proposed that President Hassan Rouhani step down, but, surprisingly, hard-liners have opposed the idea. Iran
Are we seeing the calm before the storm in the Gulf? The Gulf states need calm for economic growth and security, but it all depends on what the United States and Iran do next. Saudi Arabia
Turkey bombs Yazidi militia in Iraq affiliated with PKK A recent Turkish airstrike killed a top Yazidi military figure and others in Sinjar, Iraq, as Ankara continues its efforts to contain Kurds. Originals
How Soleimani’s slaying could affect Iran-Saudi ties The US killing of Iran’s revered Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani could pose serious security repercussions for Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Turkey gains clout in Libya negotiations following Berlin conference Though observers expect few on-the-ground changes in the Libyan conflict after the Berlin conference, Turkish leaders have secured a seat at the negotiating table moving forward. Turkey
Intel: Trump set to meet Iraqi leaders amid sanctions threats The White House announced Jan. 20 that President Donald Trump will meet his Iraqi counterpart, Barham Salih, this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump is also set to meet separately with Iraqi Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani. Iraq
