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
Turkey could leverage hostage tragedy to reach Sinjar After the deaths of 13 Turkish captives in Iraqi Kurdistan during a raid against Kurdish militants, Turkey might be weighing an offensive against Sinjar, but vocal objections by pro-Iranian groups heavily deployed in the area are bound to complicate such a mission. Turkey
Bahraini phone app launches vaccination certificate Users of the BeAware Bahrain mobile application can receive a certificate proving they have received the vaccine against COVID-19. Originals
Rouhani renews Iran’s pledge not to pursue nuclear arms The statement appeared as a correction of comments by Iran’s intelligence minister, which have fueled worries that Tehran could be developing nuclear arms. Iran
Prominent Turkish lawyer defiant after jail sentence over media trial Eren Keskin, a prominent human rights lawyer, was among four defendants sentenced to prison on terror-linked charges Monday in a newspaper trial that raised concerns over media freedom in Turkey. Turkey
UN: Houthi attack on Marib may displace hundreds of thousands The potential for a Houthi offensive poses a major test for the Biden administration. Originals
Iran's supreme leader demands US action, not talk on nuclear deal As the new administration tries to revive diplomacy with Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that "words and promises are no good." United States
Israel in quiet talks with Syria on prisoner swap Israel is reportedly negotiating with Syria on the release of a woman who mistakenly crossed the border in exchange for the release of two Golan residents imprisoned in Israel. Israel
Gaza receives first batch of vaccines Israel approved the shipment after reportedly considering tying the delivery to the release of Israeli captives in the Hamas-run Palestinian territory. Palestine
Egypt boosts investment in Congo, hoping to secure support in Nile dam crisis As Egypt seeks to grow its influence in Congo by boosting investments, Kinshasa takes over the chairmanship of the African Union, which is currently sponsoring the negotiations to resolve the dispute over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Egypt
Confident Netanyahu makes jokes in rare TV interview Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gives a rare and surprising interview to Israel’s Channel 12, making jokes and smiling throughout and throwing off the news anchor. Israel
Marwan Barghouti insists on running for president in Palestinian elections Fatah leaders are scrambling to convince imprisoned leader Marwan Barghouti to run in the Fatah list for the legislative elections, and renounce his bid to run for the presidency. Palestine
How Egypt-Gulf consensus can advance peace in Yemen Egypt agreed with the Gulf states on the need to limit Iranian influence in Yemen and support the recent US inclination to end the Yemen war. Egypt
