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
Putin, Erdogan agree on Idlib but maneuver on Kurds While Moscow and Ankara agreed to reinforce cooperation on Idlib to fight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Putin's proposal on the "buffer zone" in Syria's northeast sent Erdogan home thinking, at least until the next round of Astana talks Syria
Iraqi Kurdistan parties move to form new Cabinet After a lengthy deadlock, Iraqi Kurdistan's main political parties have agreed to form a new government. Iraq
Israel’s president hails interfaith dialogue President Reuven Rivlin has become the one voice that Europeans refer to when they seek Israeli figures ready for Mideast religious coexistence. Palestine
Egypt launches international academy for preachers, imams Egypt’s Ministry of Endowments opened an international academy to train preachers and imams with the aim of renewing religious discourse and eliminating extremism. Egypt
Ancient Egyptian designs mingle with Scandinavian minimalism A hands-on program brings Danish design students to workshops in Damietta and the Nile Valley. Egypt
Will seven politicians 'Unite4Israel'? An election campaign to unite seven Israeli public figures to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates reflects the current distress of the liberal peace camp. Palestine
Congress cuts deal on Middle East aid package The latest spending bill contains big wins for Egypt and Turkey while shunning Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Qatar challenges Saudi influence in Lebanon There has been a vacuum created by a decline of Saudi influence in Lebanon that Qatar now seeks to fill. Saudi Arabia
US allies try to dilute anti-Iran agenda for Warsaw summit Wary European allies are trying to dilute and broaden the agenda and lower their diplomatic representation for a US-backed ministerial meeting on Middle East peace and security to be held Feb. 13-14 in Warsaw, Poland. United States
Erdogan-Putin Syria meeting commences in Moscow Talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin appeared to start out on a warm note today and are likely centering on the future of Idlib as well as US plans to create a safe zone in Kurdish-dominated northeastern Syria. Syria
How Iran has moved to defrock ‘Instagram cleric’ An Iranian cleric’s defrocking has brought attention to a particular court that is unique to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran
Iran says moving towards readiness to ramp up nuclear program Iran's atomic chief says he is establishing a readiness to revive the country’s nuclear program, in line with an order by the supreme leader. Iran
