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
Ankara struggles to adapt to new geopolitical reality after Soleimani’s killing After a brief wait-and-see period in the wake of Qasem Soleimani’s killing, Turkey appears inclined to try a mediator’s role between the United States, Iran and Iraq. Syria
Are Sisi’s state assets law amendments well-intentioned? Egypt is to pass amendments to a law that would give Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the right to transfer the ownership of state assets to Egypt’s sovereign wealth fund without facing any objections. Egypt
Jordan feels Soleimani side effects The assassination of Iran’s top commander, Qasem Soleimani, has raised concerns in Jordan, with analysts fearing retaliation against US military assets in the kingdom. Iraq
Young Middle Easterners turning on to podcasts Young people in the Middle East are turning to podcasts to generate wide-ranging and in-depth conversations on politics, events and other topics of personal interest. Palestine
Hackers zap official Iraqi websites with cyberattacks Electronic hacking operations against Iraqi institutional websites have sabotaged the prime minister’s page and those of various governmental, ministerial and security agencies. Iraq
Fresh banknotes spark new economic war in Yemen The UN-recognized Yemeni government has pumped new banknotes into the country, but the Houthis are banning their circulation in areas under their control, burdening Yemenis and exacerbating problems for the already struggling economy. Yemen
The Takeaway: January 8, 2020 Highlights: US-Iran diplomacy could use an assist; Russian president continues campaign to build Russian role in region amid US-Iran crisis; Iraqi Kurdish leaders in US-Iran crossfire; and more! Originals
Putin, Erdogan demand cease-fire in Libya Turkey and Russia have ordered a cease-fire be reached in Libya in a sign that neither wants a confrontation in the oil-rich North African state where they support opposing sides. Turkey
Turkish-Russia partnership in Libya likely to be to Moscow’s advantage Analysts say any Turkish-Russian “partnership” in Libya could end up working more to Moscow’s advantage than Ankara’s, as was the case in Syria. Syria
Intel: Why Iraqi Kurdistan may be wary of hosting US troops Torn between Iran and the United States, former Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani appeared to distance himself on Tuesday from Republican proposals to station US troops in Kurdish territory should Baghdad move forward with threats to expel the Americans in the aftermath of Washington’s assassination of Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani. Iraq
Trump floats Iran as anti-terror partner after strikes In an address at the White House this morning, President Donald Trump alternated between using carrot and stick with Tehran. United States
As Khamenei boasts of 'slap' at US, Zarif says revenge 'concluded' Tehran-Washington tensions are reaching all-time highs after Iran hit US military bases in neighboring Iraq with ballistic missiles. Iraq
