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
Netanyahu draws careful line between Arab Israelis, Arab parties Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has obviously changed tactics: Instead of attacking directly Israeli-Arab citizens, he is targeting the Knesset members of the Joint List. Israel
Iranian media seems to be preparing public for clampdown on protests The IRGC issued a statement warning that continued unrest would result in a firm confrontation. Iran
Trump and Erdogan: A transatlantic love affair Presidents Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey and Donald Trump of the United States get along very well but appear to achieve little for the countries' long-term relationship. Turkey
Protesters in Iraq’s Nasiriyah fear Iran-backed armed groups In the southern Iraqi province of Dhi Qar, activists say they fear they will be targeted by Iran-backed armed groups. Iraq
Hamas sets some demands for elections, concedes others Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas are moving closer to agreeing on election stipulations, but some conditions must still be addressed. Palestine
Queen of Lebanese hip-hop raps on revolution Veteran Middle Eastern hip-hop artist Malikah's new release at the height of the Lebanese protests marks a shift in her music and views on Lebanon. Lebanon
Reduction in Iran's gasoline subsidy sparks anti-government protests President Hassan Rouhani’s announcement of a large reduction in the gasoline subsidy sparked protests across a number of cities, with deaths having been reported. Iran
Anti-Iran advocacy group FDD registers to lobby The hawkish Foundation for Defense of Democracies, an influential Washington think tank, has registered to lobby US lawmakers. Israel
Congress moves to sanction Russians for mercenary surge in Libya The US National Security Council has begun a review of US policy involving Libya as a congressional bill seeks to sanction Russian mercenaries who have undertaken operations in the war-torn North African country. Libya
Dubai's aviation boom in question as airshow kicks off The profitability of UAE airlines is on the decline as Dubai Airshow 2019 kicks off. United Arab Emirates
Against odds, Netanyahu revives his fortunes The Israeli prime minister takes out a terrorist foe, puts Iran’s Soleimani on notice and effectively sinks rival’s chances to form a new government — not a bad week. Palestine
Netanyahu’s 'divide and rule' policy against Palestinians Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues with the same approach of ignoring the Palestinian Authority and destabilizing it through contacts with Hamas. Palestine
