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
Crossing opens to help rebuild Syria, boost commerce with Turkey With the opening of al-Rai border crossing in northern Aleppo, authorities there hope to develop trade activities with Turkey and later allow travelers to move freely between the two countries. Syria
Russia to import Gaza strawberries for first time As Russia prepares to import strawberries from the Gaza Strip for the first time, farmers in Gaza are considering a commercial partnership to export other agricultural products in the future. Palestine
Who dares run against Sisi in Egypt’s presidential election? The regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is using the judiciary to block any credible rival from running in the 2018 presidential election. United Arab Emirates
Trump’s Jerusalem proclamation: A blessing or a curse? With the erosion of US deterrence under Donald Trump, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is taking a huge risk by gambling on him for Israel's security. Palestine
Ancient Mideast tastes mingle in stuffed holiday dishes In the Middle East, just as in the Western world, the end of the year is a time for stuffed dishes — and for debating who started each long and rich tradition. Palestine
Congress uses Syria aid funding as Assad leverage As the war in Syria cools down, the cold war to fund Syria’s reconstruction projects is heating up and Washington is hoping to use US assistance as economic leverage to force political concessions from Damascus. Syria
Turkey expands impunity for Erdogan loyalists Turkey’s latest set of emergency decrees grant immunity to anyone deemed to have been resisting efforts to overthrow the government during and even after the coup attempt. Turkey
Soil degradation neglected crisis in Iran Rapid degradation of soil is costing Iran billions of dollars each year as well as threatening national security. Iran
Iran's supreme leader lashes out at Ahmadinejad Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei entered the fray as verbal clashes between former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the judiciary chief intensified. Iran
Liberman, politics and the death penalty With Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing possible criminal indictment, Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman has introduced legislation allowing the death penalty for terrorism convictions to strengthen his own political standing in case of elections. Palestine
What does Gulf crisis have to do with Tunisian women? Banning Tunisian women from flying on Emirates airline may have more to do with UAE geopolitics than possible terror threats. Saudi Arabia
Israel adapts to changing strategic reality in Mideast The Israel Defense Forces believe that excellent intelligence capabilities will determine the fate of Israel’s next war. Israel
