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, India discuss upgrade in strategic ties New Delhi and Tehran are resetting strategic relations, "fast-tracking" transit trade opportunities and building on commonalities. Iran
Qatar works to revive Iran nuclear deal Qatar's foreign minister said the Gulf state is seeking to bring back the 2015 agreement. Qatar is in the unique position of having good relations with both the United States and Iran. Originals
Russia plays up ties to Syrian Christians Russia declares its support for the Orthodox Christian militias fighting alongside the Syrian regime, as it shows great interest in the ideological factor within its expansion and domination strategy in Syria Syria
Sudan calls for expansive mediation for Nile dam talks Sudan’s call for diplomatic intervention is likely to be rejected by Ethiopia. Egypt
Family of American held in Syria pins hopes on Biden This month marks four years since psychotherapist Majd Kamalmaz disappeared in Syria. Syria
Iran holds military drill in southwest Khuzestan province has a presence of Arab separatist groups and is strategically located near Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Iran
Turkey rejects US call to free jailed philanthropist Osman Kavala Turkey on Thursday rejected a call by the United States to release jailed civil society leader and human rights activist Osman Kavala. Turkey
Italy top foreign investor in Turkey in 2020 Italy supports Turkey on several issues while other European states, especially France, have notable disagreements with Turkey. Turkey
In letter to Putin, Khamenei says Iran 'will not wait' Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei reached out to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a personal note about the nuclear deal and strengthening ties. Russia
Israel’s Ashkenazi on diplomatic blitz against ICC ruling Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi is busy calling counterparts worldwide, to convince them to object the ICC ruling on judging Israel for alleged war crimes. Israel
Syrian opposition regroups as another round of talks crashes The Syrian opposition is mulling its next moves after the faltering of yet another round of talks of the Syrian Constitutional Committee. Syria
Inside Alexandria's bunker-turned-art space In the basement of an old building in Alexandria lies an art space that once served as a bomb shelter. Egypt
