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
US eyes bigger role for Libyan warlord as civil war looms The United States has long struggled with how to handle Khalifa Hifter, as the former CIA asset has repeatedly threatened to march on the war-torn country’s capital. Libya
Will Iraq reemerge as battleground between the US, Iran? Iraq is primed to emerge as an area of mutual Iranian and American influence, although Tehran does not appear keen to initiate a direct confrontation. Iraq
Russia, Turkey look to strengthen relationship beyond Syria Contrary to expectations, in Moscow Syria was a marginal story while Putin and Erdogan focused on further boosting bilateral ties. Syria
Mosul faces political crisis after governor dismissed An arrest warrant has been issued for the governor of Ninevah province, of which Mosul is the capital, following a ferry accident that killed nearly 100 people. Iraq
Iranian elites rally behind IRGC after US terrorist designation Iranian elites from across the fray expressed solidarity with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps after the US administration branded the military organization a terrorist organization. Iran
Egypt reaches out to AU with medical aid As Cairo shoulders the chairmanship of the African Union for 2019, Egypt has launched two major medical initiatives serving African refugees and residents of other AU states. Egypt
Syrian military keeps shelling Idlib despite demilitarized zone Turkish military patrols in the demilitarized zone in Idlib haven't kept the Syrian regime from shelling the area, and a Syrian opposition faction says it will respond in kind. Syria
Funding cuts to Palestinians take toll on independent media Independent Palestinian media outlets, especially TV channels, are folding due to financial difficulties stemming from reduced or canceled funding typically received by Palestinian nongovernmental organizations. Palestine
Turkey's Orange Blossom Carnival blooms despite economic, political woes Orange Blossom Carnival is Turkey’s first and only street carnival, which in its seventh year attracted over 250,000 visitors to southern Adana province over the weekend, all for the love of color. Turkey
Is Gaza set to break sexual harassment taboo? Activists from the conservative Gaza Strip recently launched the #MeTooGaza hashtag on social media to encourage sexual harassment victims to talk about their experiences and share their stories. Palestine
