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
Intel: How Trump continues to restrict humanitarian trade with Iran The Donald Trump administration on Wednesday sanctioned Tehran’s biggest airline and shipping network, charging them with transporting Iranian weapons in a move that could further restrict the flow of humanitarian goods into Iran. United States
Former Erdogan ally establishes new party in Turkey Following months of speculation, former Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is establishing a new party to challenge President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hold on center-right voters. Turkey
IRGC head blames foreign influence for protest 'sedition' In the aftermath of massive protests that saw hundreds killed in Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is still casting blame for the violence outward and warning Western and "hostile regional countries" against provoking unrest in the nation. Iran
Could Turkey bar US military from Incirlik air base? Faced with the resurging threat of sanctions in the US Congress, Ankara has brandished another trump card, warning that the US military could lose access to two key bases in Turkey. Turkey
Security situation in Aleppo’s al-Bab still not stable Following angry public protests in Aleppo’s city of al-Bab due to the deteriorating security conditions, police forces are intensifying efforts to prevent terrorist incidents. Syria
Iraqis await fallout from NYT expose on Iranian influence Leaked documents from Iranian intelligence seem to back up Iraqi protestors' angry contention that Iran has corrupted top-level Iraqi politicians, though the politicians themselves offer rebuttals. Iraq
Will loan initiative turn around Egypt's struggling factories? Egypt’s Central Bank has launched a funding initiative to help defaulting factories deal with their debt and bolster production. Egypt
Protesters unmoved by Algeria's first corruption trial Algeria’s protesters view the current trial of figures linked to the former regime as a charade that some in power are using to settle personal accounts. Algeria
Israel to further tighten the noose on Hamas As a part of the financial restrictions on Hamas, Israel issued a decision to economically pursue Palestinian and foreign figures whom Israel accuses of funding terrorism, and added the president of the Arab Organization for Human Rights on the list of those pursued. Palestine
Is Turkey about to lose its only ally in the Gulf? As Qatar's crisis with its Gulf neighbors de-escalates, Ankara is concerned about losing its valuable ally. Legacy: Gulf
Turkish-Libyan security, maritime deals spike tensions Agreements between Turkey and Libya sparked anger among stakeholders in the Libyan civil war and in maritime drilling in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkey
Demands for term limits rise as Netanyahu clings to power Benjamin Netanyahu's endless fight to keep the premiership has prompted calls for change from Israelis exhausted from three elections in one year. Israel
