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
Decision of third elections doesn’t reflect instability in Israel The insistence of the Blue and White party not to form a government with an indicted prime minister and the ensuing decision to hold third elections, actually testify to the stability of Israel's governing institutions. Israel
Is Iran-Taliban cold peace within reach? To secure its part in Afghanistan's political future, Iran is actively engaging the Taliban, but the road will be bumpy, given the multiple ideological and geopolitical challenges. United States
Underlying tensions still restrict full GCC reconciliation While Qatar has been reinvited to the GCC party, the UAE appears to be spoiling for the role of party pooper. Saudi Arabia
Oil trail reveals Turkey funding Syrian Kurdish rivals Through oil, Turkey is helping to indirectly subsidize the very same Syrian Kurdish administration that it's seeking to crush. Syria
Intel: Pentagon looks to continue Saudi air force training despite shooting The Pentagon awarded a $15 million contract to a Virginia-based company to provide English-language training to Saudi Arabia’s air force at an air base in Riyadh, just hours after a Saudi national killed three people at a naval installation in Florida on Thursday. Saudi Arabia
Turkey’s first 'indigenous and national' credit rating agency Turkey bought 85.05% of Japan Credit Rating Agency (JCR) Avrasya. How did a seemingly Japanese company became a national asset? Turkey
Iran braces for harsh times under new budget Iranian President Hassan Rouhani presented a draft budget to parliament. Originals
Intel: How Florida base shooting could threaten US-Saudi training programs President Donald Trump’s outraged allies in Congress are calling on the United States to reevaluate its training programs for Riyadh after a Saudi national killed three and wounded two others in a shooting at a Florida naval base on Friday. Saudi Arabia
Russia’s 'multilayered pie’ policy on Libya For all the uncertainty surrounding Russia's presence in Libya, there are some policy drivers to be watched. Turkey
Turkish-backed forces loot Ras al-Ain Some residents of Ras al-Ain braved the ongoing chaos there to check on their houses, but found them destroyed or confiscated by opposition and pro-Turkish factions. Syria
Turkey joins top tier in human development, UN says Government spending on health care and a long-term economic expansion helped Turkey achieve "very high human development" for the first time, according to a new UN report — but a shaky recovery from a currency shock last year could exacerbate inequality in the coming years. Turkey
China looks to boost its influence in Yemen China is capitalizing on its ties with the various actors in Yemen's civil war to play a bigger role in investing in a post-conflict Yemen. Saudi Arabia
