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
Netanyahu proposes international corporation to battle pandemics Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu proposed to six other heads of states that they join forces to combat the current and future pandemics in a more coordinated manner. Israel
Palestinian skeptics not yet sold on elections As the prospect of Palestinian general elections draws near, Palestinians are skeptical about their success as divisions remain between the rival Fatah and Hamas movements. Palestine
Netanyahu’s campaign: a superhero challenged by small-time politicians As rivals keep garnering low scores in polls, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu portrays himself as a mega statesman and his opponents as lightweights. Israel
Exhausted Syrians call for removal of crossings in opposition-controlled areas Crossings between the areas under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the Turkish-allied FSA factions are a burden on civilians, who feel like they are traveling from one state to another. Syria
Iraqi port revenue surges as anti-corruption move bears fruit Iraq’s key Umm Qasr Port has been positively affected by measures to reduce corruption, leading to a massive revenue increase in 2020 despite fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. Plans for the massive, nearby Faw Port and an electronic system being put in place may also serve to shore up state coffers and reduce those of “outlaw” groups. Iraq
Why the sudden shift in Sudan’s position in Nile dam dossier? Sudan has recently shifted its position in the negotiations on Addis Ababa’s controversial dam on the Nile River, as Khartoum grows more concerned about the dam’s impact on its own dams and agriculture. Egypt
Fears of Syrian government offensive mount in Idlib as Turkey withdraws from military posts Syrian opposition groups worry that the Turkish withdrawal signals a coming military offensive. Syria
Netanyahu lays out campaign for US to maintain course on Iran Israel is hoping that the new US administration will conduct an intimate strategic dialogue with Israel’s allies in the region before making a final decision on the Iran nuclear issue. Israel
UAE steps in to ease Nile dam crisis Sudanese reports recently revealed that the United Arab Emirates is seeking an initiative to bring the views of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia closer so as to break the deadlock in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. United Arab Emirates
Israel starts vaccinating prisoners after delay After Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit warned that keeping them lower in the queue was illegal, Public Security Minister Amir Ohana ordered the prison services to start vaccinating elderly inmates. Israel
Israel provides Gaza with machines to extract water from air An Israeli firm donated generators producing drinking water from air to the Gaza Strip, which faces an acute water shortage crisis, amid controversy about cooperation between the two sides. Palestine
Israeli-Arabs divided on Netanyahu’s electoral blitz The visit of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazareth, with very little objection from local residents, reflected growing rejection within Israeli-Arabs of the Joint List party. Israel
