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
Golan 'forever' part of Israel, Netanyahu says after Blinken comments US Secretary of State Antony Blinken appeared to question the previous administration's controversial decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. Israel
Turkey’s risk grade far from safe Turkey’s risk premium has sharply decreased over the past several months, but an array of economic and political factors threatens to undo the trend. Turkey
Pope’s schedule in Iraq reveals two missions In the first-ever papal visit to the country, Pope Francis plans to highlight the plight of Iraq's dwindling Christian population and promote interfaith dialogue. Iraq
Israel, Greece agree on 'green passports' for citizens vaccinated for COVID-19 Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed Feb. 9 to adopt a mutual tourism pact, which will enable those already vaccinated against the coronavirus to travel between the two countries freely. Israel
Netanyahu’s fate to be determined by COVID-19, not corruption trial Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fears failure in dealing with Israel's coronavirus pandemic even more than his corruption trial. Israel
Netanyahu pushes for evidentiary stage to be postponed until after election The legal defense team of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries postponing the evidentiary stage of his trial until after the March 23 election. Israel
Meet Egypt’s Christian soccer team As Christian football players continue to be rejected from clubs playing in the Egyptian league, the Je Suis team opened the door for these talents to continue doing what they are passionate about. Egypt
Will Sudan-Ethiopia border conflict affect GERD talks? Border tensions have escalated between Sudan and Ethiopia in the past few days, coupled with Ethiopian threats to Sudan if it does not respond to peaceful solutions, which has triggered questions about the impact of such developments on the GERD issue. Egypt
Syrian regime scrambles to defuse tensions after insult to Druze leader The people of Suwayda in southern Syria were outraged when a Syrian army officer insulted the spiritual leader of the Druze community in the governorate, and high-ranking officials are trying to defuse the tension by offering apologies to the community. Syria
Hundreds left homeless as Egyptian authorities demolish random constructions As the Egyptian authorities embark on removing dozens of residential buildings in the historic Sayeda Aisha area as part of a development plan, lawyers are working to provide legal support to residents and owners of the removed properties. Egypt
Iran’s foreign minister discusses ending war in Yemen with UN envoy Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Martin Griffiths in Tehran on Monday as the US renews a push to end Yemen's war Yemen
Autopsy of slain Lebanese intellectual Lokman Slim shows no torture Slim's wife said an independent autopsy was necessary and is also calling for an international investigation, as opposed to leaving it up to the Lebanese government. Lebanon
