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
IS militants exploit political unrest in Iraq to rise again Islamic State sleeper cells use the protests’ crisis to their advantage to operate in Iraqi cities. Originals
Intel: How Congress is putting Saudi fugitives on notice Congress is forcing the Donald Trump administration to disclose Riyadh’s alleged role in whisking Saudi fugitives out of the United States, some of whom are wanted for charges as severe as manslaughter, rape and possession of child pornography. Saudi Arabia
Is Netanyahu planning a preemptive attack against Hezbollah? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering a preemptive attack against Iranian proxy Hezbollah, perhaps before the March elections. Israel
Israel's defense minister tries blocking arrangement with Hamas Defense Minister Naftali Bennett has taken a series of decisions that are meant not only to please his right-wing camp but also to block arrangement talks with Hamas. Palestine
Egypt moves into position as regional energy hub President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has announced Egypt is ready to export electricity to Africa at low prices. Egypt
Pacts between Libya, Turkey raise tensions with Egypt Egypt's criticism of Libya's internationally recognized government is mounting in light of the latter's maritime and security agreements with Turkey. Egypt
Rojava Information Center, a media bridge to the world outside An all-volunteer group of local and international journalists and researchers established the Rojava Information Center in the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria to ensure that events there are reported internationally through their own work as well as by assisting established foreign outlets report from the region. Syria
Moroccan YouTubers forced to silence A day after Mohammed Sekkaki recorded a witty rant against the king and uploaded it to YouTube, Moroccan police raided his home and arrested him. Morocco
Is Jerusalem a real obstacle or a convenient excuse? The Palestinian elections expected sometime in 2020 are still in doubt because of lack of clarity about the participation of Jerusalemites, but is this a real reason or an excuse? Palestine
Israeli-PA coordinated arrest campaign against Hamas in West Bank The arrest campaign targeting Hamas leaders and members in the West Bank has intensified in recent weeks, suggesting an attempt by the PA to intimidate the movement from participating in the upcoming elections. Palestine
Dollar shortage crisis in Lebanon spills into Syria The Syrian pound's value plummeted against the US dollar after the Lebanese pound depreciated. Lebanon
UAE hires its second former Samantha Power aide to defend itself at UN The UAE has tapped a former aide to Barack Obama’s UN ambassador as the country faces blistering criticism at the world body. United Arab Emirates
