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 paring of Palestinian tax funds hampers PA budget preparation Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said the 2020 budget will go back to being a regular one; the PA operated on an emergency budget last year after Israel cut the PA's tax funds. Palestine
Why Hamas insists on release of jailed Fatah leader Israel has refused the conditions set by Hamas for a future prisoner exchange deal, which include the release of imprisoned Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. Palestine
Women's group brings equality to Talmud study Over 3,000 women participated in a gathering to celebrate the completion of a seven and a half years of Talmud study put on by the Hadran association, dedicated to make practice inclusive of women. Israel
Palestinian citizens in Israel expect to get 15 seats in Knesset Israel's Palestinian citizens are expecting to expand their number of seats in the next Israeli Knesset due in part to their united position in the Arab Joint List. Israel
Reconciliation drive between Hamas, Saudis hits wall Hamas wants to restore ties with Saudi Arabia, but mediation efforts were stymied by disagreements over the US "deal of the century," the Arab Peace Initiative and other issues. Saudi Arabia
Solidarity swells in Morocco after crackdown on free expression Moroccan journalist Omar Radi has been released pending trial in March, but other YouTubers, rappers and students remain in jail for criticizing the king and the regime. Morocco
Egypt unruffled by EastMed pipeline project Now that Cyprus, Greece and Israel have agreed to build a subsea pipeline to supply Europe with natural gas, officials are downplaying its potential impact on Egypt's ambition to become a regional energy hub. Egypt
Israel’s left to pay price for ignoring Arab voters The merger between Labor-Gesher and Meretz created a new list that doesn't include even a single Arab candidate for the March Knesset elections. Israel
Pentagon doesn’t clarify ‘imminent’ threat to kill Soleimani Statements from the Pentagon throw into question Trump's justification for the US strike on Qasem Soleimani. United States
Can Libya be turned around and become Russia's 'second Syria'? Russia took an opportunity to mediate between the warring parties in Libya only to see Khalifa Hifter turn his back on Moscow's initiative — perhaps, just for now. Syria
Intel: Warren threatens Trump with insider trading probe over Soleimani strike Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chris Van Hollen urged an insider trading investigation into President Donald Trump for reportedly telling Mar-a-Lago guests about the Soleimani strike in advance, according to a joint letter sent to the chairmen of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission on Monday. United States
Intel: Will US citizen's death result in sanctions on Egypt? Moustafa Kassem, a US citizen detained in Egypt for more than six years, died in prison Monday after a heart attack stemming from his yearlong hunger strike in protest of his incarceration. Egypt
