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
More bodies uncovered in mass graves of Libya's Tarhuna The UN-backed government said the bodies were found blindfolded and with their wrists bound. Libya
Blinken warns Nile Dam talks could ‘boil over’ Biden’s nominee to be secretary of state promises "fully engaged” US policy in Horn of Africa, as the crisis between Ethiopia and Sudan escalates. Egypt
Iraqi PM vows security changes after Baghdad bombing Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi also sacked a number of Iraqi security officials within hours of the attacks. Iraq
Etihad to resume flights to Doha as Gulf crisis ends Following the United Arab Emirates reopening its airspace to Qatar, the Abu Dhabi-based airline will restart flights to the Qatari capital next month. United Arab Emirates
Egypt unveils restored Isis Temple 150 years after its discovery Egypt inaugurates the restored Temple of Isis in Aswan as part of the government’s efforts to revive the tourism sector. Egypt
Egypt’s back on gold production map after loosening mining regulations The gold industry in Egypt has recently witnessed a boom after the Egyptian government amended mining regulations to attract foreign investors, while President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi plans to build a jewelry-making city. Originals
Hamas calls for dismantling American field hospital for failing to provide needed services Hamas refused to deal with the newly established American field hospital in the Gaza Strip and prohibited its citizens from visiting it, saying that the medical center is not providing services for difficult cases, such as cancer, as agreed upon in the truce understandings with Israel. Palestine
Netanyahu bets everything on vaccination drive As the March 23 elections approach, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wagered everything on stopping the pandemic. Israel
Israel, Qatar in contact over Gaza as Bibi plans Gulf trip According to reports, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi has been in contact over the phone with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, mostly over financial aid to the Gaza Strip. Originals
Privacy concerns mar Israeli deal with Pfizer Some Israelis are worried that the agreement with Pfizer prioritizing Israel in its vaccine distribution involves the provision of personal information to the company. Israel
Congress approves waiver for Lloyd Austin to become defense secretary The Senate is expected to confirm the former CENTCOM commander as Pentagon chief Friday. Congress
French president says no apology for colonization of Algeria Algeria asked France to apologize for its actions during the more than 100 years of occupation. Algeria
