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
Why has Gulf aid to PA declined in recent years? Official Palestinian data showed that Saudi support for the Palestinian 2020 budget drastically declined, raising many questions about the future of the Palestinian Authority on the economic and financial levels. Palestine
Biden's deputy secretary of state nominee OK'd by Senate committee The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved moving Wendy Sherman's nomination to the full Senate, with some Democrats and Republicans who had disagreed with her on the Iran deal voting to confirm her anyway. United States
Is Turkey-Egypt maritime agreement dead in the water? Turkey's efforts to secure a demarcation agreement with Egypt in the eastern Mediterranean seem fruitless as Cairo remains indifferent to Ankara's signals. Egypt
Syria war crimes trials can 'reduce the accountability gap,' UN rights chief says UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said Germany's recent conviction of a former Syrian regime officer marked an important first step. Syria
Netanyahu cancels UAE trip over disagreement with Jordan Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was forced to postpone today's trip to the United Arab Emirates when Jordan dragged its feet on approval to cross its skies. United Arab Emirates
Kurdish forces blame Turkey for Euphrates River water drop in northeast Syria The Syrian Democratic Forces claim Turkey caused a drop in the Euphrates River water level that will harm residents and their economic activities in the areas they control in northern and eastern Syria. Syria
Salam Fayyad’s return to Palestine politics Former Palestinian prime minister plans to participate in the upcoming Palestinian legislative elections. What does his entry into the election campaign mean? Palestine
Netanyahu’s 'Bibi on the Road' campaign gains momentum Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can no longer organize huge party-convention gatherings, which is why he is constantly on the road, meeting citizens personally and campaigning for their support. Israel
Egypt, Sudan coordinate positions in Nile dam file Egypt and Sudan are currently increasing coordination on the issue the controversial dam Ethiopia is building on the Nile River. Egypt
Fatah sacks senior member, highlighting split ahead of elections As Palestinians gear up for the upcoming presidential and legislative elections, sharp differences are emerging within the Fatah movement, leading to the formation of a number of lists headed by or including Fatah leaders, in what is set to weaken the official list and divide Fatah votes. Palestine
Israel-Egypt relations advance in baby steps Cario's openness to warming bilateral ties with Jerusalem has been limited, but recent progress might signal that even Cairo understands that times have changed. Egypt
Syria 'a living nightmare' after decade of war, UN chief says Some 60% of Syrians are at risk of hunger this year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. Syria
