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
Election 2020: Netanyahu's quest for immunity Unlike the campaigns for elections held in April and September, in the next election cycle the issue of immunity from criminal trial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be squarely on the table for his opponents as well as himself to use. Israel
Netanyahu hangs on, drags Israel toward third election Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence on a rotation agreement and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz' rejection of an indicted partner have Israel headed for a third election. Israel
Intel: How pressure is mounting on Egypt to release detained Americans Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has taken up the case of a US citizen held in Cairo with Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry. Egypt
Pressure mounts against importing Israeli gas to Jordan While Jordan is expected to start receiving natural gas from Israel in a matter of weeks, demands that the government cancel the deal are growing. Israel
PA turns to Russia in a bid to break from US sponsorship As part of its efforts to economically disengage from Israel, the Palestinian Authority seeks to establish bilateral relations with Russia in the energy field. Palestine
Will political crises lead to a Hamas-Israel prisoner swap? A desire by Hamas to improve it's standing among Palestinians and the current political predicament of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might make a prisoner swap more inevitable in the near term. Palestine
Africa encourages its youth to become entrepreneurs The UN Development Program, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa organized the African Economic Conference, shedding light on jobs and entrepreneurship for a better future in the continent. Egypt
What is the fate of Baghdad-Erbil’s oil-for-budget agreement amid ongoing protests? Iraqi political sides vow to block a recent oil-for-budget agreement by Iraq’s caretaker government with the Kurdistan region. Iraq
Iraqis gratefully welcome UN envoy's speech, demand more With few expectations, Iraqis expressed appreciation to the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert for her briefing on the protests. Iraq
Algeria to vote in presidential poll amid crackdown on protesters As Algeria’s presidential elections approach, protesters are taking to the streets to voice opposition to holding the vote before the protest movement’s activists are released from detention. Algeria
Will Israel's right-wing camp lose its leader soon? The right-wing camp, including the ultra-Orthodox, national-religious and settlers, have considered Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as its leader for so long that it is now finding itself in a crisis. Israel
Will Israel-Hamas arrangement divorce Gaza from West Bank? According to recent statements by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a long-term agreement, including over control of Gaza. Palestine
