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
Middle East allies, adversaries condemn 'disgrace' at US Capitol Leaders across the region responded with alarm to the violence that unfolded at the US Capitol. United States
Egypt’s intelligence chief heads to Sudan amid stalled Nile dam talks Egypt’s head of the General Intelligence Service Maj. Gen. Abbas Kamel visited Sudan at a time when Khartoum boycotted the recent Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations. Egypt
Israeli center-left reaches out to Arab voters Seeking support from the Arab electorate at the upcoming March elections, the parties of the Israeli left and center are suddenly adding Arab candidates to their Knesset lists. Israel
Pontifical Biblical Institute in Jerusalem reminds world of European presence in Holy City The Jerusalem branche of the Rome-based Pontifical Biblical Institute has a museum that displays a Pharaonic mummy and baby’s bones in a jar, among other archaeological finds. Palestine
Hamas forcibly expels residents from their homes in Rafah The Hamas authorities in the Gaza Strip began a campaign to expropriate state-owned lands near the Rafah border crossing, as part of a project to expand the crossing, leaving many citizens homeless and jobless. Palestine
Israel quiet as Egypt advances talks with Palestinians Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi has not commented publicly about speaking with his Egyptian counterpart Sameh Shoukry, nor on the French-Egyptian initiative for a mini international peace conference. Palestine
Egypt approves Pharaonic exhibition in 5 US, European cities Despite the outbreak of the coronavirus around the world, Egypt is trying to revive the tourism sector by planning to take remarkable archaeological pieces on a tour around five prominent cities in Europe and the United States. Egypt
2020 was a bad year for Gaza hotel-turned quarantine centers Hotels in the Gaza Strip were unable to host New Year's Eve parties as they turned into quarantine centers due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has led them to incur great losses that bode ill for the sector. Palestine
Gulf unity deal further isolates Iran Healing the Gulf Cooperation Council rift is a parting gift for Trump and a welcome gift for Biden in dealing with the Islamic Republic. Gulf
Intel: Biden to pick Brett McGurk for top White House Middle East role Picking the former defeat-ISIS envoy to oversee US Middle East policy sends a strong signal to Turkey. Turkey
Turkey calls for 'common sense' amid post-election unrest in US Turkish state media reported the government's response to the storming of the US Capitol by Trump supporters. Originals
Iran’s Rouhani demands justice for downed plane victims Despite yearlong persistent calls from families of the victims, Iran has not yet put to public trial those who shot down the Ukrainian airliner. Iran
