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
Report: Israel to purchase vaccines for Syria in prisoner exchange deal According to foreign publications, Israel has agreed to purchase Russian Sputnik V coronavirus vaccines for Syria, as part of a Russia-mediated deal to release an Israeli woman who crossed the border into Syria. Palestine
Can Turkey fit into the Biden administration’s Syria policy? The gnarliest problem: Pentagon report says Syrian, Iranian proxies are "most significant" threats to US mission, but the Islamic State isn’t dead yet, and Turkey and the United States still disagree on the Kurds. Syria
Biden to review Trump's freeze on aid to Ethiopia over Nile dam The Trump administration froze some aid to Addis Ababa in August over its stance on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Equatorial Guinea to move embassy in Israel to Jerusalem The West African state is the second on the continent to announce plans to open an embassy in the holy city, and the first country anywhere to do so since US President Joe Biden took office. Israel
Iraq's 'Falcon Cell' leader removed amid accusations of suspicious links The replacing of a top intelligence official whose unit had been responsible for many key arrests signals further efforts to centralize control of Iraq's intelligence services. Iraq
UAE says Princess Latifa 'cared for at home' amid hostage claims After Sheikha Latifa claimed she was being held hostage, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights asked the Emirati government to provide evidence that she is alive. United Arab Emirates
Turkey hires Washington lobbyists in bid for return to F-35 program The Biden administration is giving Turkey the cold shoulder on the S-400 dispute. Turkey
'Hostage-like arrests' in Egypt target families of US-based activists, rights groups say A coalition of human rights groups accused the Egyptian government of intimidating and harassing the family members of prominent activists living abroad. Egypt
Israel develops new regulations for Google, Facebook Israel is working on regulations similar to European efforts to protect small businesses that advertise on Facebook and Google. Israel
Pentagon chief reaffirms defensive support for Saudi Arabia amid Houthi strikes Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to reaffirm strategic ties. Saudi Arabia
Israeli woman who entered Syria flown home The Israeli government is withholding some details about the Russia-mediated deal that also involved two Syrians being released from Israeli prison. Israel
Foreign debt risks hover over Turkish lira’s recovery Saddled with chunky foreign debt repayments in 2021, Turkey might face hefty borrowing costs and renewed currency jitters. Turkey
