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
Syrian opposition split on timing of Assad military offensive An anticipated military operation by the regime and its allies in the city of al-Bab has stirred controversy among the opposition ranks. Syria
What can Turkey expect from Qatari-Gulf deal? Turkey feels vindicated as al-Ula Declaration ends the blockade against Qatar. Turkey
Jordan bets on GCC deal to boost economy Jordan has attempted to remain neutral in the Gulf feud that erupted in 2017 when a Saudi-led bloc of nations cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. The kingdom has welcomed the agreement recently signed to end the Gulf dispute. Jordan
Is Al-Qaeda affiliate expanding attacks beyond Syrian town of Idlib? Hurras al-Din, affiliated with al-Qaeda in Syria, claimed responsibility for an attack against a Russian base in northern Raqqa and pledged to expand operations outside its areas of deployment in Idlib. Syria
Egypt seeks to bypass Turkish presence in Senegal In an attempt to counter Turkey’s expansion in West Africa, Egypt and the UAE seek to consolidate their ties with Senegal, the gateway to West Africa, by pushing forward new investments in the African country. Egypt
Coronavirus crisis propels Israeli mayors to front stage With the government in a perpetual state of crisis, the coronavirus pandemic propelled Israeli mayors to a position of unprecedented prominence. Israel
Ethiopia’s worsening crisis threatens regional, Mideast security With the Horn of Africa increasingly becoming an integral part of the Middle East’s security landscape, the fallout from Ethiopia's current crisis will have a significant impact on states of the region. Egypt
Israel tightens lockdown measures Israel added more restrictions on top of its lockdown as coronavirus cases continue to spread rapidly. On the other hand, Israel is successfully rolling out the vaccine. Israel
Pentagon’s top policy official meets Saudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister in Riyadh Anthony Tata sat down with Prince Khalid bin Salman on Thursday, but details of the discussion remain unclear. Saudi Arabia
Hamas scrambles for relevance in post-normalization Middle East Egypt urges Palestinian reconciliation in midst of diplomatic surge, as Hamas keeps options open with Iran and Syria. Gulf
Iran approves 3-day release for jailed lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh Nasrin Sotoudeh is serving a decadeslong prison sentence on charges related to her work as a human rights defender. Iran
US sanctions Iraq's PMU chair Falih al-Fayadh Fayadh chaired Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units as the forces killed hundreds of unarmed pro-democracy protesters. Iraq
