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
Iranian-Turkish tug-of-war over Kurds Allegations of Iranian support for the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) have created fresh tension in the region as Turkey faces new violence from Kurdish militants. Iraq
Egypt's shrinking space for civil society The Egyptian government crackdown on civil society organizations has intensified with the arrest of a prominent human rights lawyer. Egypt
Turkey moves against HDP after Istanbul attack After the attack in Istanbul claimed by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons, the Turkish government launched raids to detain more than 200 people, including Kurdish leaders. Turkey
Why do Iran's conservatives oppose deals with Boeing, Hyundai? Iranian conservatives denounce the billion-dollar deals with Boeing and South Korea’s Hyundai to modernize Iran’s air and shipping fleets after years of sanctions. United States
How Iraq's PMU law is disrupting national unity efforts Sunni blocs, which walked out of the Iraqi parliament when the Popular Mobilization Units law was passed, are now refusing to participate in the national reconciliation project. Iraq
Lebanese activists succeed in first step to repealing controversial 'rape law' Women's rights activists say that abolishing Article 522 of the Lebanese penal code is only one step toward protecting women from sexual abuse and violence, as more laws need to be amended. Lebanon
Will Turkey finally launch space agency? With the launch of its second active military satellite on Dec. 5, Turkey now has five satellites in orbit and is planning for even more activity in space. Turkey
Netanyahu's 'Job Act' could win him Trump-like appointment powers Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to have an American-type administration in which he and his associates decide who is appointed to key positions. Israel
Erdogan’s war on the market economy Challenging the tenets of the market economy, Turkish leaders have portrayed the country’s economic downturn as a foreign plot to discredit the government — an attitude that signals a dangerous course for Turkey. Turkey
Egypt pivots to medical tourism An Egyptian pharmaceutical company launched a campaign that highlights low-cost treatment to hepatitis C patients from all over the world as part of efforts to promote medical tourism to the country. Egypt
How Trump emboldens Netanyahu Has the victory of US President-elect Donald Trump reignited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dream of becoming an all-powerful president of Israel? Israel
Can Syrian Democratic Council play unifier in postwar Syria? In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ilham Ahmed, Kurdish co-president of the Syrian Democratic Council, discussed the reasons behind the council's establishment and its aspirations for Syria. Syria
