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
Egypt eyes new IMF deal Egypt has entered into talks with the International Monetary Fund to discuss a new financing package for the country, whose current economic reform program expires this month. Egypt
How Russia sees protests in Lebanon, Iraq Russian officials have adopted a wait and see approach to the ongoing protests in Lebanon and Iraq, but the stance has some principles Moscow follows. Iraq
Pompeo confirms Israel’s nightmare scenario on Iranian nuke The scenario Israel's security and intelligence chiefs feared the most is now becoming reality: Iran is being pushed to the wall by the United States and therefore is shortening its "breakout time" toward a nuclear bomb. Israel
Seeking to restore relations on Capitol Hill, Erdogan to visit Trump in Washington With US-Turkey ties in disarray, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed his Nov. 13 meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington, where he may seek to win over allies in Congress. Syria
Is it time for a historic paradigm shift in the Persian Gulf? Could this be the moment for the countries in the Gulf region to realize they have a lot in common and take steps to reduce conflict? Legacy: Gulf
Hamas' Sinwar ramps up threats against Israel Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar's recent belligerent and threatening speech reflects frustration over the stalemate in talks with Israel, partly due to the Israeli political crisis. Palestine
Could Netanyahu be pardoned in exchange for quitting politics? Instead of seeking an immunity law, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might explore the possibility of a pardon deal, in exchange for exiting Israel’s political life. Israel
Likud supporters behind Netanyahu, blame police for persecution For Likud supporters, the affair of state witness Nir Hefetz only proves once again that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is being persecuted by the police. Israel
Egypt launches development projects in north, south Sinai In a new step toward the effective development of the Sinai Peninsula, the Egyptian government announced the launching of agricultural and residential development units for Egyptian citizens from different governorates. Egypt
Is release of two prominent journalists a sign of normalization? The release of two well-known journalists from prison shouldn’t lead anyone to believe and hope that Turkey is becoming less autocratic. Turkey
Lebanese protesters take their uprising to the doorsteps of political elite Protesters across Lebanon have begun to move toward a strategy that targets public institutions. Lebanon
