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
National security officials fear White House reversal on Syria As a residual US troop presence arrives in Syria, some Donald Trump administration officials are worried that the president himself may once again reverse his decision to leave troops in the country. Syria
Iran announces newly installed centrifuges Iran has announced more progress on its nuclear program beyond what was stipulated in the nuclear deal. United States
Israel's Bennett becoming principal actor again The recent rapprochement between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and New Right senior leader Naftali Bennett is turning Bennett once again into a principal political actor. Israel
Risking Turkey’s ire, Iraqi Kurds back Syrian brethren The oft-disunited Kurds of Iraq, Syria and Turkey are united against Turkey's invasion of areas in Syria where Kurds had achieved self-rule. Iraq
Hamas, Gaza on agenda of Israel’s coalition talks New Right senior Naftali Bennett has toned down his statements on the Gaza Strip over the past few days; he is interested in becoming the defense minister in a future Netanyahu government. Palestine
Egypt launches first shipment to Kenya as part of Gosour project As part of the Gosour project, Egypt launched its first shipping line from Ain Sokhna port to Kenya’s Mombasa port — a project highly praised by the private and public sectors. Egypt
Baghdadi's death complicates Turkey's plan in Idlib The US raid targeting the Islamic State's leader undermined Turkey’s plans to let the status quo prevail in Idlib as the Syrian Constitutional Committee concludes its work. Syria
Turkey to send foreign Islamic State fighters home Turkish forces have captured hundreds of extremists since launching an operation against the Syrian Kurdish militia that fought the Islamic State, and Ankara says a reluctant Europe must take back its citizens. Syria
Does Baghdadi’s death herald the end of IS? The Islamic State is unlikely to disintegrate after losing its leader as the factors that have driven the worldwide membership and activities of the group remain in place. Iraq
Debate on individual freedom reopened in Morocco The case of journalist Hajar Raissouni reopened the debate on individual freedoms in Morocco, and revived calls to annul the law chapters that criminalize them. Morocco
Saudi financial forum visit pays off for India Riyadh and New Delhi were productive during the Indian prime minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia last week. Saudi Arabia
Where the Russia-Turkey deal leaves players on the ground The initial glow of the Putin-Erdogan deal has faded, and the parties are now in for some on-the-ground challenges. Syria
