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
Palestine takes tangible steps in its 2020 agricultural clusters plan The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture is raising its GDP contribution to 30% over the next three years. Palestine
Palestinians lobby for tweaks to anti-terror bill The Palestinian Authority and plaintiffs backed by an Israeli NGO are competing for lawmakers’ ears as Congress seeks to amend an anti-terror law. Palestine
Pompeo urges Iranians to expose regime abuses Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged Iranians to continue sending messages exposing the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on recent widespread protests. Iraq
Jordan plans to grab excess American weapons Jordan is planning to obtain excess US fighter jets and large transport planes, part of an ongoing counterterror effort in the Arab kingdom. Jordan
Pompeo wavers on sanctions red line after Turkey tests Russian missile system Turkey started testing the S-400 missile system this week, but the Donald Trump administration is still hesitant to implement legally mandated sanctions on Ankara. Russia
US sanctions on Turkey 'inevitable' after apparent S-400 radar test US officials are expected to impose sanctions on Turkey following reports that Turkey is testing its Russian S-400 radars in Ankara. Turkey
Iran continues dismantling JCPOA nuclear restrictions Tehran is launching construction work on the first of two new nuclear units in a $10 billion expansion of its power plant and has begun enriching uranium at a site formerly limited to research. Russia
After indictment, Netanyahu scores well in polls, but Gantz does better Not many people arrived at last night’s demonstration in Tel Aviv, but polls indicate public support of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is still high. Israel
Netanyahu directs supporters to protest law enforcement For the first time in Israel's history, the prime minister has called upon his supporters to demonstrate against the country’s law enforcement agencies. Israel
Iran lawmakers move to impeach three of Rouhani's ministers Iranian lawmakers have launched separate bids to impeach three ministers in President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet, giving the already embattled president yet another headache. Iran
Amid ongoing unrest, Iraq refuses to receive IS detainees from Syria Though Iraq previously said it would receive and prosecute foreign Islamic State fighters from Syria, it has now rescinded its offer. Iraq
Turkey’s economic crisis takes toll on wealth holders Hit by the Turkish lira’s slump against the dollar, economic contraction and decline in real estate prices, Turkey’s richest have watched their wealth erode. Turkey
