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, Kosovo establish diplomatic relations on Zoom Israel and Kosovo ae probably the first two countries in the world to establish diplomatic relations in a virtual Zoom ceremony. Israel
Hezbollah says it took out Israeli drone near border Hezbollah claims to have downed an Israeli drone, but the Israeli military claimed that it crashed. Israel
Triple car bombings in Turkey-occupied Syria draw UN condemnation Bombings in Afrin, Azaz and a village near al-Bab claimed at least 18 lives this weekend. Syria
Libyan delegates to vote for interim prime minister Seventy-five representatives of different regions in Libya will cast their votes this week for an interim prime minister and a three-member presidential council. Libya
Iran says coronavirus cases increasing in those under 25 According to an Iranian official, hospitalizations in Tehran have increased and they are seeing an uptick in positive cases among individuals under 25 years old. Iran
Activists petition against Israeli arms export to Uganda Israeli human rights activists fear that the leadership of Uganda might use Israeli-made weapons in its efforts to stop and silence local opposition. Originals
Israel provides COVID-19 vaccine doses for Palestinian health-care workers Faced with international criticism, and also for its own interest of curbing the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, Israel transferred to the Palestinian Authority a first shipment of 2,000 Pfizer vaccine doses. Palestine
US terror designation of Houthis: a fresh ordeal in Yemen Despite warnings by human rights groups, the previous US administration designated Yemen’s Houthis a terrorist organization, which locals fear will only add to their misery. Originals
How car bombs are making their way into northern Syria As local councils in northern Syria, which is under the control of Turkish-backed rebels, fail to make car dealers obtain licenses and register their offices, chaos prevails in the car market, as car bombs and explosions claim the lives of dozens of civilians. Syria
Egypt, Sudan accuse Ethiopia of stalling Nile dam talks Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan continue to trade accusations on the failure of the Nile dam talks, in what some say is an attempt to draw the attention of the new US administration into the regional file. Egypt
Syrian regime forces Homs residents to reopen their shops Regime-affiliated authorities in Syria’s central province of Homs are threatening shopkeepers to reopen their shops or risk confiscation of their properties by the regime. Syria
Misinformation, propaganda cloud Turkey's Africa policies Myths and falsehoods abound in Turkish and Arab press about Turkey’s regional ventures, nourishing overblown elations and fears. Turkey
