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
Netanyahu holds second vaccine summit with leaders of Hungary, Czech Republic In Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's latest effort to create international vaccine alliances, he hosted Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Jerusalem. Israel
Did Jordan generate a crisis, or was it Israel's fault? It is unclear whether the diplomatic crisis is only the result of poor Israeli judgment, or Jordan actually generating it. United Arab Emirates
Israeli Arabs wonder how COVID-19 will shape Ramadan 2021 With vaccination rates still relatively low in Israeli-Arab towns and villages, residents there wonder how the upcoming month of Ramadan will look like. Israel
EU: No Syria reconstruction aid until Assad leaves Josep Borrell marked the 10th anniversary of Syria's civil war by doubling down on US-led policy to isolate Assad Syria
Turkey aims to vaccinate 50 million by fall, health minister says Turkey, a country of 89 million people, has so far administered more than 10.5 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine. Turkey
Hamas claims Israeli drone, not Palestinian rocket, killed 3 fishermen Hamas said the fishermen were killed by an explosives-carrying Israeli drone they found at sea, but others say it may have come from Palestinian rocket fire. Palestine
Emirati and Israeli companies pledge to work together on anti-drone technology The UAE’s EDGE and Israel Aerospace Industries agreed to develop a Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System for the Emirates. Originals
Jordan reinstates partial lockdown as coronavirus deaths spike New infections are ravaging Jordan, where vaccination efforts are lagging far behind what health experts say is needed. Jordan
Khamenei stands defiant on Iran’s regional military presence In a speech replete with diatribes against the United States, Iran’s supreme leader defended his country’s controversial regional policies and accused Washington of “inverting the truth.” Iran
Baghdad’s Mustansiriya Madrassa ready for World Heritage List Baghdad’s Mustansiriya Madrassa established by Abbasid Caliph Al-Mustansir around 1230 suffers obsolescence, dampness, environmental pollution and urban sprawl. Iraq
Clothing factory fire near Cairo kills at least 20 The cause of the blaze, which injured at least two dozen people on Thursday, isn't yet known. Egypt
Turkey, Russia, Qatar push for unlikely new Syria peace track The trilateral meeting between the countries is meant to push for a political solution to Syria's 10-year-long conflict. Turkey
