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
Hard-line Iranian cleric slams Rouhani over preelection 'uproar' A partisan battle is raging between Iran's political elites in the runup to the country's parliamentary polls. Iran
Iran plans to wean budget off oil income by next year Iranian officials say the country will kick its dependence on oil revenues by next year, using them only for development projects and to acquire capital assets. Iran
Intel: What’s on the agenda for the Trump-Erdogan meeting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is in Washington to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House today amid an intense crisis between the two NATO allies. Turkey
Killing of Islamic Jihad senior: Gantz falls into Netanyahu's trap Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must have considered beforehand what would exactly happen as a result of the elimination of Islamic Jihad senior Bahaa Abu el-Atta, including the elimination of the option of a minority government under Benny Gantz. Palestine
Avigdor Liberman’s followers accept his worldview change As at this time there is a slim chance for a minority government supported by the Arab Joint List, Yisrael Beitenu leader Avigdor Liberman’s base accepts the moderate and unusual stance of the party regarding such a government. Israel
Hamas sits out Islamic Jihad escalation in favor of deal with Israel The latest escalation in Gaza showed where Israel and Hamas' interests converge, as neither wants to see Islamic Jihad gain too much power. Palestine
Ottoman, Mamluki heritage sites crumble in Egypt Egypt's grand old fountains, poorhouses and other monuments from the Ottoman era have been neglected for years. Egypt
Vocal Egyptian lawmaker in hot water again Legislator Ahmed al-Tantawi has been referred to the Egyptian parliament’s Ethics Committee for actions some of his colleagues say tarnish the regime’s image. Egypt
Egypt's powerful military companies to go public President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has called for listing companies affiliated with Egypt's armed forces on the stock exchange, allowing citizens to buy the shares in an effort to increase transparency. Egypt
How Palestinians view Trump refusal to resume PA security aid The Palestinians are certain that Trump’s refusal to resume financial support for Palestinian security is personal and has been going on for a while. Palestine
Egyptian, Bahraini leaders exchange praise, strategies Bahrain's king visited Egypt's president last week to discuss national and regional security efforts, Iranian interventionism and bilateral cooperation. Bahrain
Million-dollar lobbying campaign against Kuwait suffers major setback A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Russian businesswoman to 15 years of hard labor despite pressure from former US officials. Here's who's behind the campaign to release Marsha Lazareva. United Arab Emirates
