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
Animosity toward Iran reaches fever pitch in Turkey after Aleppo Agitation against predominantly Shiite Iran by Sunni Islamists has resulted in calls for attacks on Turkey’s Alevis for vengeance. Turkey
Rift growing between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Arab party With Knesset member Basel Ghattas accused of smuggling phones to prisoners, and with a prominent activist expressing support for the Assad regime, the rift between the Israeli Arab population and the Arab Joint List is growing deeper. Israel
Israeli art student hounded by Israeli right Instead of defending freedom of expression and art, Israeli politicians hounded the art student who depicted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a rope. Israel
Who's behind Russian diplomat's murder in Ankara? Turkish officials are seeking the true motive behind the slaying of Russian Ambassador Andrei Karlov at a public event in Ankara Dec. 19. Syria
Why moving US Embassy to Jerusalem is no way to start a presidency President-elect Donald Trump's proposal to relocate the US Embassy would place another straw on the proverbial camel's back in the Mideast. Palestine
PMU seeks to secure Iraq-Syria border The Iranian-backed Popular Mobilization Units have requested to take control of the Iraqi-Syrian border, which raises concerns about Iran's interference in Syria. Iraq
Jordan faces tough path ahead as next Arab summit host Jordan will face a number of diplomatic challenges in March at the Arab League summit meeting in Amman. Legacy: Gulf
Thousands flee Aleppo as regime regains control Three years after the opposition took control of Aleppo’s eastern neighborhoods, the Syrian regime’s army, with the help of foreign militias, entered the city and began evacuating civilians to the city’s countryside. Syria
Hamas leaders reject fatwa forbidding suicide attacks Several Hamas leaders have rebuffed a surprising fatwa issued by the Muslim Brotherhood's Sharia authority, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, which bans Palestinian suicide operations against Israel. Palestine
Abbas is taking Dahlan down in court Palestinian Corruption Court sentences PLC member Mohammed Dahlan to three years in prison and a fine of $16 million, only one day after President Mahmoud Abbas stripped him and four other members of parliament of parliamentary immunity. Palestine
Is Abbas revoking Palestinian MPs' immunity legal? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has lifted the parliamentary immunity guaranteed under the Basic Law for five lawmakers, as some Palestinians question whether this is allowed. Palestine
The remilitarization of Iran's Basij The Iranian supreme leader’s recent string of new appointments in the upper echelons of the country’s military suggests an impending remilitarization of the Basij. Iran
