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
Escalation in Idlib may force Turkey to review its position Confrontations between Turkish forces and the Syrian army are becoming more frequent in and around Idlib, the last stronghold of the Syrian opposition. Syria
Iraq orders militias to fully integrate into state security forces In an important move amid US-Iran tensions, the Iraqi prime minister issued a decree ordering the Popular Mobilization Units to come under the full control of the state. Iraq
Tehran to tackle currency woes with new forex Iran plans to launch a new integrated foreign exchange market to tame hard-currency volatility, though that goal is far from assured. Originals
Top US general’s retirement marks turning point in Mideast operations Will Gen. Joseph Votel's retirement result in the end of US low-budget warfare in the region? Iraq
Intel: Why Turkey is intent on proceeding with Russian arms deal The first shipment of the Russian-made S-400 missile defense system will arrive in Turkey “within one week or 10 days,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced yesterday. Turkey
Egyptian politicians arrested, accused of working with Muslim Brotherhood Egypt has arrested several politicians and journalists it accuses of funding Muslim Brotherhood-linked terror efforts. Egypt
Gulf states divided in approach to Iran-US escalation Not having faced a direct threat from Iran in the last few decades, the position of Oman, Kuwait and Qatar in the current tensions with Iran is that of peaceful negotations, rather than military intervention. Legacy: Gulf
Iran exceeds enriched uranium limit set by nuclear deal Iranian sources have informed the media that Iran has exceeded a stockpile of 300 kilograms of 3.67% enriched uranium as a step toward reducing its commitments under the nuclear deal. United States
Libya's Hifter frees Turkish sailors Don't expect the release of six Turkish hostages to ease the tensions between Ankara and eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Hifter. Turkey
Turkey continues bombing Iraqi Kurdistan amid Iraq's strong objection Turkish fighter jets bombard Qandil Mountains inside Iraqi Kurdistan, leaving dozens of civilians killed and wounded. Iraq
Netanyahu's fanciful end run around the Palestinians Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants people to believe that normalization with the Arab world is possible through common opposition to Iran rather than resolution of the conflict with the Palestinians. Legacy: Gulf
Russia, Turkey still defending own interests in Syria Fighting goes on in Idlib and Hama provinces between opposition forces and the Syrian regime, and recently Turkey and Russia seem more involved in the confrontations. Syria
