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
Qatar renews Gaza aid amid Gulf reconciliation Qatar has agreed to renew its grant to the Gaza Strip despite reconciliation with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, which previously requested Doha cut ties with Hamas. Palestine
Will Syrian opposition benefit from recent Gulf detente? The Gulf reconciliation has sparked controversy in the opposition circles of northwestern Syria over its expected positive effects on the Syrian revolution and opposition. Syria
Egypt to start building high-speed railway from Red Sea to Mediterranean Egypt and German’s Siemens recently signed an agreement to start establishing a high-speed railway network connecting the Red Sea and Mediterranean coasts, as part of Egypt’s efforts to develop its decaying sector. Originals
Turkish-Greek talks, all talk? Greece and Turkey will hold explanatory talks for the first time in years following the tensions that peaked last year between the regional rivals, although the two parties have yet to agree on the issues to be discussed. Turkey
Egypt dodges Trump’s ire as White House orders massive last-minute aid cuts The outgoing president briefly sought to freeze all US military aid to Egypt over its purchase of Russian military hardware, but the White House revised the decision before notifying Congress, Al-Monitor's sources said. Egypt
Erdogan calls for 'positive steps' with Biden on F-35 program The Turkish president called Turkey's suspension from the F-35 program a "serious wrong" from a NATO ally. Turkey
Is Israel’s Arab Joint List breaking up ahead of March elections? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu campaigns in Nazareth for the Arab vote. Israel
Trump orders US Central Command to include Israel amid strategic shift The decision caps the outgoing administration's efforts to build a regional defense arrangement to counter Iran. Israel
To stop Iran’s advances toward nuclear weapons, restore JCPOA The best way to de-escalate tensions is for both Washington and Tehran to comply with the Iran nuclear deal — and go from there. United States
Moscow stands to gain from Hamas-Damascus reconciliation While claims that Russia is playing a large role in reconciliation talks between the Palestinian movement Hamas and the Syrian regime may be overstated, Moscow could benefit in several ways if the two sides restore relations. Palestine
GOP mega donor Sheldon Adelson buried in Jerusalem A small service was held on the Mount of Olives for Adelson, who died Monday at 87. Israel
Could Turkey-Greece talks yield positive results? Turkey has agreed to resume long-stalled talks with Greece on complex territorial disputes, but its calculus appears focused on short-term gains in its relations with the United States and the European Union. Turkey
