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
Chinese energy giant bids farewell to $5 billion Iran project In what could be seen as yet another blow to Iran's sanctions-hit economy, China's state oil company has withdrawn from a major multibillion-dollar deal in the country's south. United States
Turkey's route into Syria full of pitfalls, uncertainties Despite its political and military significance, US President Donald Trump’s green light for Ankara does not make Turkey’s task east of the Euphrates River any easier. Syria
Iraq, China launch 'oil for reconstruction' agreement Baghdad has forged a 20-year deal to supply Beijing with oil in exchange for Chinese investments in projects to repair Iraq's war-damaged infrastructure. Iraq
Russia has 3 messages for Turkey over operation in Syria Russia has its eye on long-term opportunities following Turkey's operation in northeast Syria. Syria
How Egyptian protesters are saying it with music Songs with catchy rhythms and street language have become the anthems of Egypt's young protesters. Egypt
Protesters demand to return home to Syria's Deir ez-Zor Displaced Syrians are calling for regime forces and Iranian-backed fighters to withdraw from Deir ez-Zor province, while the anti-regime Syrian Democratic Forces fear such protests could spiral out of control and turn against them. Syria
Palestine Monetary Authority gets grip on terrorism funding A new network will help Palestinian banks crack down on illegal money transactions by collecting more data from their customers. Palestine
Erdogan’s friendship with Trump has extra benefits The friendship between the Turkish and American presidents thrives despite all ideological differences, so much so that elites of Turkey's ruling party view the impeachment inquiry as an act of the "deep state" or even a "coup" against Trump. Syria
Confusion reigns as Trump authorizes troop withdrawal from Turkish-Syrian border towns US President Donald Trump's announcement catches Pentagon, State Department and Syrian Kurds off guard as Turkey assumes a primacy of sorts in the president's thinking despite the S-400 fiasco. Syria
Trump allies in Congress assail decision to let Turkey attack Syrian Kurds Lawmakers and presidential candidates are lambasting President Donald Trump for greenlighting Turkey’s offensive against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria. Syria
Pentagon pushes back on Turkish incursion in Syria The Pentagon opposed the Donald Trump administration’s decision to allow a Turkish operation in Syria, a senior administration official told Al-Monitor. Syria
Turkish press reacts to pending Syria operation Turkey’s media landscape offered mixed perspectives and reports as questions loom over a pending military operation in northeast Syria. Syria
