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
Turkey’s ‘wealthless’ wealth fund a tangle of problems Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund is under mounting criticism for being exempt from public auditing despite using major public assets in its transactions. Turkey
How Capitol Hill riots will complicate Turkey-US ties The violence on Capitol Hill promises to further complicate Turkey-US relations as the incoming US administration’s tolerance of those who show contempt for democracy and rule of law diminishes. Turkey
Abbas' rival Dahlan coordinates UAE aid to Gaza as Palestinian elections near The United Arab Emirates has sent a new medical aid shipment to the Gaza Strip, the second in a month, to help cope with the coronavirus crisis, raising questions about the role of Fatah’s dismissed leader and President Mahmoud Abbas’ archrival Mohammed Dahlan. Palestine
Despite crackdown, Islamic State continues to kill, kidnap civilians in east Syria Despite a security crackdown carried out by the Syrian Democratic Forces, in coordination with the US-led coalition, in Deir ez-Zor, the Islamic State is kidnapping, threatening and killing civilians for money. Syria
Khamenei's vaccine ban paints dismal picture of Iranian health care The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed shortcomings in health care systems across the globe, and Iran is no exception. Iran
Congressional Democrats and Republicans rebuke Trump admin over Houthi terror designation The designation of Yemen's Houthi forces as a foreign terrorist organization has been met with criticism from both the House and the Senate. Yemen
Fate of seized South Korean tanker, crew out of Iran’s hands, says foreign minister The decision is the latest in a growing financial dispute between Tehran and Seoul ignited by US sanctions. Iran
Lebanon: Interpol issues warrants for people involved in Beirut port explosion Lebanese state media said the international police organization has issued Red Notices for the owner and captain of a ship that brought tons of ammonium nitrate to Beirut years before last August's tragic explosion. Lebanon
Egypt reopening airspace to Qatar after 3½-year row Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have already announced the end of their bans on flights from Qatar. Gulf
France scores big Iraqi construction project at Turkey's expense A French company has beaten out a Turkish one for the Mosul airport project; political considerations along with economic concerns seem to have factored into Baghdad's decision. Iraq
Rights group B’Tselem says Israel is an apartheid state A new report by one of Israel's leading human rights groups argues in favor of the analogy to segregated South Africa. Israel
Jordanian given death penalty for 2019 stabbing attack The man and two accomplices reportedly were inspired by the Islamic State to stab tourists and Jordanian police in the ancient city of Jerash. Jordan
