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
Israel's ambassador says not interested in working with US on return to Iran deal The Biden administration has pledged to consult with Israel and other allies before making any moves to join the landmark nuclear deal. Israel
Israeli mayors offer gifts, incentives for people to get vaccinated Some Israeli mayors offer gifts and benefits for residents getting vaccinated; others sanction those who refuse. Israel
How Turkey became unsafe haven for dissidents While Ankara requests the most renditions of any country, its own borders remain extremely porous, its security personnel vulnerable to corruption and its territory a playground for foreign intelligence services. Turkey
Coup row haunts Turkish-US ties Amid an already frosty start with the new US administration, Ankara has renewed accusations that Washington was behind the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey. Turkey
Egyptian parliament hopes to counter US Congress criticism on human rights Egypt’s parliament is ramping up efforts to deal with the US Congress’ criticism of the human rights situation in Egypt, as it passed a motion to send delegations to the United States. Egypt
Netanyahu’s pick of Iran file envoy signals confrontation with US Picking national security adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat over real Iran experts such as Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen or retired Gen. Amos Yadlin means that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not believe dialoguing with the Biden administration on Iran will do any good. Israel
ICC ruling means war crimes investigations go both ways The International Criminal Court’s ruling that it has jurisdiction over the Palestinian territories has pleased many residents but alarmed others that Palestinian leaders could face investigations they fear will be political. Palestine
Gulf states’ quest to find ‘new oil’ turns to hydrogen Unrivaled expertise in the energy industry and a growing global market for hydrogen is pushing Gulf oil exporters to invest in the global realignment toward cleaner energies. Originals
Blinken walks back State Department ambiguity over Turkish hostages killed in Iraq After an earlier statement suggesting Washington didn't necessarily buy Ankara's narrative on the killings, the State Department today said that "PKK terrorists bear responsibility." Turkey
Iraq finally makes arrests in killing of anti-government protesters Iraqi security forces arrested four suspects for allegedly killing Iraqi protesters and activists. Iraq
Netanyahu appoints his own Iran envoy in message to Biden Despite the growing presence of Europeans on the Iranian portfolio, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu estimates that the United States alone will be the one to determine the outcome of a new nuclear deal. Originals
Russian interactions with Palestinians seen as all talk, no action Russia is showing its reach with Palestinian factions in advance of elections, but there is still no sign that Moscow is having an impact. Palestine
