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
Trump admin vows US won’t be 'hostage' to 'nuclear blackmail' from Iran The United States says won’t give in to Iranian threats as Iran is set to end compliance with the two conditions the US administration recently made impossible to meet. United States
Iran seeks broader defense cooperation with Russia amid US pressure As part of a long-term military strategy to fortify its defenses against US threats, Iran is moving closer to Russia — with a vision entailing broader defense cooperation. Russia
Intel: How new presidency will affect power dynamics in Iraqi Kurdistan Lawmakers in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region formally reactivated the office of the presidency in a legislative session presided over by the body’s first female speaker, Vala Farid. Iraq
Erdogan could lose more than Istanbul in high-stakes electoral gamble With many Turks outraged over the nullification of Istanbul's election results, the oppression of dissent and violence expected going into the rerun could backfire on the increasingly authoritarian president. Turkey
After 'year of patience' Iran suspends some nuclear commitments Iran will suspend two voluntary commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, giving European signatories to the deal 60 days' notice to deliver the promised economic dividends or face further action. Iran
Can assault on Idlib facilitate Russia-Turkey deal? As the Russian Khmeimim base has come under militant shelling, the Russian military boosted the Syrian army assault on Idlib amid speculation over a back-channel Russian deal with Turkey. Syria
Saudis’ troubled ties in region threaten Trump's anti-Iran agenda The Trump administration is tightening the screws on Iran, but Saudi Arabia, Iran's archnemesis, may not be of help drumming up support for the US policy given the state of its current relations in the Arab world. Legacy: Gulf
Is Erdogan’s trust in Trump in the S-400/F-35 standoff misplaced? Turkish government officials believe that if Trump was not hamstrung by Congress and the Pentagon, he and Erdogan would have solved this matter by now. Turkey
Many Palestinians apply, but few get to visit Al-Aqsa for Ramadan Though Israeli announces measure allowing some Palestinians to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan every year, applicants complain of opaque selection processes and poor odds. Palestine
Qatar seeks to cement truce between Israel, Gaza factions Qatar has mediated, along with Egypt and the UN, a cease-fire ending the latest round of hostilities between Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, after which it pledged to provide $480 million in support of Palestinians. Qatar
Likud's Saar declares war of succession Gideon Saar of Likud has put Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu on notice that he is after his job and might not wait until Netanyahu steps aside before making a play for it. Israel
Lebanon’s interior minister pushes for prison reform amid calls for radical change Unless broad, structural reforms to the administration of prisons and military detention centers are passed in conjunction with changes to the criminal justice process itself, the reforms announced by Lebanon’s interior minister so far will likely only have a moderate impact on the penal system. Lebanon
