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
Like a third wheel, US complicates India-Iran relations Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Tehran recently to work through bilateral relations and pursue a port development project. United States
Intel: Why Ankara is maintaining cautious silence on Soleimani killing Officials in Ankara were awake and concerned in the early morning hours of Jan. 3, after a US strike near Baghdad's airport killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. Yet 18 hours after the strike, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is still silent. Turkey
Intel: 2020 Democrats react to Soleimani’s assassination Democrats hoping to oust President Donald Trump from the White House this year wasted no time in condemning the strike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force. United States
Iran declares 3 days of mourning after Soleimani killing Iranian leaders have vowed revenge after the killing of the Quds Force chief commander, Qasem Soleimani, by a US drone strike. Iraq
Soleimani’s assassination unites Iranians The assassination of Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani has shocked Iranians into unity. United States
How Russia is reading the killing of Qasem Soleimaini Moscow weighs the implications of the elimination of one of the Middle East's most powerful men. Iraq
US allies, Democrats express concerns after assassination of Iran’s Soleimani US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has called for de-escalation after the killing of Iran's Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani, but international allies and Democratic senators are openly skeptical about Pompeo’s claim that his assassination was wise. Iraq
As US-Iran conflict heats up, Hamas finesses Tehran’s expectations The escalation of tensions between Iran and the United States is threatening to force Hamas to take action in support of Tehran, endangering the chances for an arrangement with Israel. Palestine
Cairo seeks support to keep Turkish troops out of Libya Egypt is trying to diplomatically mobilize the international community to reject Turkey's expected military intervention in northwest Libya. Egypt
Israel’s security chiefs fear possible Iran war Israel’s defense sector lauded the killing of Qasem Soleimani, but is bracing for an aggressive reaction by Iran and an escalation of regional tensions. Iraq
Malaysia appoints consuls in West Bank, Gaza The Malaysian Foreign Minister announced the appointment of two consuls for his country in Ramallah and Gaza, in a move that Palestinian Authority could interpret as a Malaysian recognition of Gaza as a separate entity Palestine
Palestinians wary of ICC call for probe into Israeli war crimes Palestinians received with skepticism the announcement by the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor that an investigation should be launched to document war crimes in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, while some believe it could herald change if it is followed by concrete actions. Palestine
