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
Iran renews call for sanctions relief as Biden offers nuclear talks Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also welcomed Washington's decision to rescind the Trump administration's position on snapback sanctions. Iran
Biden’s cold shoulder serves Netanyahu on right President Joe Biden’s iciness toward Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could benefit him ahead of the March elections. Israel
Egypt uncovers brewery that served pharaohs An American-Egyptian mission recently uncovered an ancient brewery that paints a vivid picture of beer in ancient Egyptian life. Egypt
Egypt helps Sudan confront Brotherhood ideology through missionaries Egypt sent a missionary convoy of imams and preachers to several Sudanese regions, most notably the Darfur region, where protests and violence broke out amid accusations by the Sudanese government that the Muslim Brotherhood and members of ousted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's regime were behind them. Egypt
Egypt turns to Russia for help with desalination plants amid Nile dam crisis Egypt is seeking to move forward in the implementation of new seawater desalination projects in cooperation with Russia, to cover its water deficit amid the stalling negotiations on Addis Ababa’s dam on the Blue Nile. Egypt
Is Israel trying to keep Hamas from running in Palestinian elections? The Israeli army has recently arrested dozens of Hamas cadres and leaders in the West Bank in the lead up to the Palestinian elections, which may affect Hamas’ leaders ability to mobilize the masses, launch electoral campaigns and persuade candidates to join their lists for fear of Israeli arrests. Palestine
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, exiled opposition form united front Egyptian opposition forces and figures abroad launched a unified front to oppose the government of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Originals
Netanyahu mourns Limbaugh, pushes for confrontational path over US-Iran talks Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushes for a confrontational approach vis-a-vis Washington on relaunching talks with Iran, while Defense Minister Benny Gantz favors dialoguing with the Americans. Israel
UAE dismantling base in Eritrea following drawdown in Yemen Images from The Associated Press show vehicles and structures being removed from the Emirates' military base. United Arab Emirates
Israel, US reveal cooperation on Arrow 4 ballistic missile interceptor The Arrow 4 is set to replace the high-altitude Arrow 2 in the coming decades. Israel
Turkey looks to Cyprus to consolidate EastMed gains Even as Ankara and Athens reengage in exploratory talks over long-running maritime disputes, Turkey is pressing ahead in its campaign for a two-state solution on the island. Turkey
Oldest water tunnel in Palestine yet to be fully explored The Balama tunnel is the most ancient water tunnel discovered in Palestine, but it still needs to be fully explored so it can turn into a tourist attraction. Palestine
