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
UN’s highest court to hear Iran sanctions case against US The Hague-based International Court of Justice will consider an Iranian lawsuit filed after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed economic sanctions. Iran
Erdogan likens students to terrorists, condemns Bogazici rallies Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan likened protesting students to terrorists in a speech Wednesday, condemning ongoing demonstrations over the appointment of a government-linked rector to Istanbul’s Bogazici University. Turkey
Iran says 'best response' for US forces to leave Iraq Officials in Tehran renewed calls for an end to the American military presence in neighboring Iraq as a response to the US killing of Iran’s top commander Qasem Soleimani. Iraq
Turkish police seize several tons of illegal alcohol High taxes on liquor have created a market for illicit liquor in Turkey and police are cracking down. Turkey
Saudi Arabia suspends travel from 20 countries, including US Diplomats, health care workers and their families are exempt from the travel ban. Saudi Arabia
Biden administration makes first call to Turkey National security adviser Jake Sullivan ran through a panoply of regional issues in a call with his Turkish counterpart. Turkey
Turkey, proxy fighters accused of 'illegally transferring' Syrians for prosecution Human Rights Watch documented the transfer of at least 63 Syrians to Turkey for prosecution on charges including membership in a terrorist group. Turkey
Israeli Labor picks gender warrior Michaeli as its new leader Polls indicate that the election of gender-equality activist Merav Michaeli to head the struggling labor party was a good pick. Israel
Gaza counts Mamluk-era mosque among ancient treasures Gaza’s venerable Al-Thafar Damri Mosque is a reminder of the prestigious history of the Islamic civilization during the Mamluk period. Palestine
Egypt to begin project to convert sand into solar panels Egypt signed with a Chinese company a cooperation protocol to locally manufacture sand-to-cell photovoltaic solar panels, in the first such project in the region. Egypt
Israel multiplies warning on renewing nuke deal with Iran Two senior ministers, Tzachi Hanegbi and Yuval Steinitz, are warning against the United States pushing for a JCPOA-similar agreement with Iran. Israel
PA begins virus vaccinations after receiving batch from Israel The Palestinian Authority began vaccinating medical teams on Tuesday after the first batch of vaccines was delivered by Jerusalem. Palestine
