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
Israeli, American submarine activity suggests show of force against Iran Israel reportedly dispatched a submarine to the Suez Canal and the Red Sea in what has been taken as a clear warning to Iran not to escalate tensions at this sensitive time of transition. Egypt
Syrian Kurds deny deal with Russia, Assad government over Ain Issa The Syrian government and Russian media sites are promoting a new agreement between Russia and the Syrian Defense Forces that guarantees the regime's takeover of the Ain Issa area in northern Raqqa. Syria
Arabs in Syrian Kurdish-controlled region on edge following assassinations Al-Monitor conducted a rare reporting trip to Syria’s eastern Deir ez-Zor region to discuss the situation with the chief of the part of the Arab-majority governorate under Kurdish-led SDF control in the oil-rich and insurgent-prone area. Syria
Egypt denies plans to join states opening Western Sahara consulates Cairo has denied Moroccan reports that Egypt plans to inaugurate a consulate in Western Sahara, which has been disputed for decades between Morocco and the Polisario Front backed by Algeria. Egypt
Project to save Dead Sea going nowhere Experts warn of an environmental crisis if a project is not advanced by Jordan and Israel to save the Dead Sea that is shrinking at catastrophic rates. Israel
Israel spurns Turkish bid to improve ties In the past few weeks, Ankara has made several overtures toward rapprochement with Israel, yet Jerusalem seems to be waiting for something solid. Israel
Despite complaints, PA determined to ban bird imports amid bird flu outbreak in Israel The Palestinian Ministry of Agriculture has adopted strict measures to prevent bird flu from reaching its farms from Israel, which has inflicted heavy financial losses on farmers. Originals
US approves Iranian funds transfer to buy COVID vaccines, says Iran central bank chief Iranian officials have argued US sanctions have hampered their ability to make payments for overseas vaccines. Iran
Iran to receive 150,000 Pfizer vaccines Amid a controversy over Iran's ability to purchase the coronavirus vaccine, Tehran is set to receive 150,000 doses from US donors. Iran
Erdogan hails 'new phase' in Turkey-UK ties with trade agreement Turkey and the United Kingdom's increasing discord with the European Union make them natural partners. Turkey
Nasrallah says Hezbollah would not be part of Iran nuclear talks The Shiite party's leader also said Hezbollah has doubled its missile supplies. Saudi Arabia
Yemen’s president orders unity government to Aden after swearing-in in Saudi Arabia The power-sharing agreement comes as Yemen's Houthi rebels have already largely seized control of the country's north Saudi Arabia
