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 still cool to gestures from Turkey In a positive, yet cautious signal, Israel has nominated senior diplomat ambassador Irit Lillian as charge d’Affairs to its embassy in Ankara. Israel
Updated: US disputes UN report on capture of Al-Qaeda’s top man in Yemen The report said Khalid Batarfi was handed over to Saudi authorities, yet a US officials says he's still at large. Saudi Arabia
Saudis praise Biden after president draws line on Yemen, arms deals During a speech promising to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with allies, Biden announced the end of US support for Saudi-led operations in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia temporarily releases two US-Saudi political prisoners Dual citizens Salah al-Haidar and Bader al-Ibrahim still face trial on terror-related charges. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu manipulates parties on left, right By encouraging a coalition of Israel's far right parties and by pushing for splits within the Arab Joint List, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has increased his chances of winning the March 23 elections. Israel
Iraqi border crossings better protected as cells attempt desert attacks The prime minister’s decision to send military reinforcements to Iraq's border ports last year seems to have made officials feel safer and reduced revenue-siphoning corruption. Iraq
US may help keep GCC reconciliation on track It is unclear how firm or shaky the ground is for Gulf Cooperation Council nations' reconciliation with Qatar, but they may be on more or less good behavior to start off as well as possible with the Biden administration. Gulf
Egypt, Greece conduct naval drills amid EastMed tensions Egypt and Greece carried out military exercises in the Northern Fleet in the Mediterranean to counter potential threats on their maritime borders amid tensions with Turkey. Egypt
HTS leader shocks popular base after interview with Western journalist Whenever Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leader Abu Mohammed al-Golani makes a media appearance, it causes a commotion among Syrian activists and analysts, the most controversial of which is his recent appearance in a suit. Syria
Egypt looks to Congo for breakthrough on Nile Dam talks Egypt is hoping the Democratic Republic of Congo, as chair of the African Union, will contribute to solving the long-standing dispute between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD). Egypt
Netanyahu still waiting for Biden’s phone call The fact that US President Joe Biden is taking his time in calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the fact that he did not refer to Israel or to the Iranian threat in his first foreign policy speech, deeply worries Jerusalem. Israel
Congress votes to make US Embassy move to Jerusalem permanent The measure, an amendment to the COVID-19 relief bill, passed the Senate easily on Thursday night. Israel
