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
Israeli settlers attack Palestinians in their own homes Terror has prevailed over the West Bank streets and towns as the settlers’ attacks against Palestinians have been on the rise since early 2021. Originals
Egypt considers purchase of Indian missile system India may supply Egypt with its BrahMos missile systems as part of New Delhi's efforts to emerge as a major arms exporter and Cairo's push to diversify its weaponry. Egypt
Al-Qaeda-linked leader again descends on Idlib streets to polish his image Once more, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in Syria’s Idlib is making appearances in public places and visiting camps in a bid to present himself as a popular leader and to have his organization’s name removed from the international terrorist list. Syria
Dubai orders capacity reductions, closes bars as virus cases soar The UAE's largest city remained mostly open as normal until a recent outbreak. Originals
Iran suggests European Union ‘choreograph’ return to nuclear deal Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif doubled down on his stance that the United States must relieve sanctions first but suggested the EU could coordinate mutual steps. United States
Iran mandates quarantine for European travelers The Iranian government also announced that the first batch of coronavirus vaccines will arrive this week. Iran
Gulf states prepared to support Iraqi sovereignty, fight terrorism: GCC Secretary General Strengthened Iraq-GCC relations could bolster stability in the country and lessen Baghdad's dependence on Iran. Iraq
Report: Israel turned down US request to inspect Haifa port after deal with China Officials warned the US Navy may not visit the Haifa area if a Chinese state-run company takes up management of the city's port. Israel
Pope Francis dismisses uncertainty over upcoming Iraq trip Francis' visit to the country next month will mark the first time a pope has visited Iraq. Iraq
Turkish students detained as Bogazici protests intensify Police forces prevented demonstrations Monday, detaining several protestors attempting to rally against the recent arrests of Bogazici University students over a poster deemed insulting of religious values. Turkey
Kushner, Berkowitz nominated for Nobel Peace Prize for Israel-Arab deals The two received the nomination for their work on Israel’s normalization deals with Arab states. An activist from Western Sahara was also nominated. Originals
Israel extends nationwide virus lockdown by five days The cabinet also voted to keep the ban on international flights in place through at least Sunday. Israel
