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 right wing joins anti-corruption battle Several members of the right-wing camp have recently joined the protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is suspected of corruption. Israel
How Israel enables discrimination against ultra-Orthodox women Those praising Israeli democracy must remember that women are constantly discriminated against by ultra-Orthodox parties that are part of the ruling coalition. Israel
How Egyptians are fighting forced marriage Forced marriage in rural areas, especially in Upper Egypt, has become so rampant that several women and civil institutions launched campaigns to raise awareness about the dangers of such practices. Egypt
How ‘Kurdistan’ became illegal in Turkey, again The Turkey of 2013 and the Turkey of 2017 are very different places, which is why uttering the word “Kurdistan” is once again a punishable offense in the parliament. Turkey
Gaza e-clinic crosses borders to offer medical advice Two engineers from the Gaza Strip are preparing to launch an app where patients can communicate with doctors from the Palestinian territories and other countries. Palestine
Syrian opposition skeptical of Russian troop pullout While some opposition factions hope Russia's reported military withdrawal from Syria will encourage a political solution, others fear Iran and regime forces will exploit the vacuum. Syria
In retreat, IS takes advantage of Libya's political divide Rival forces in Libya are fighting an Islamic State insurgency after the group suffered major blows across the country. Libya
Egyptian women’s groups unite behind domestic violence bill Women’s organizations have prepared a bill to fight violence against women, but the measure is likely to face religious and social pushback in Egypt's conservative society. Egypt
Pilgrims celebrate Christmas under Church of the Nativity's new roof Bethlehem's ancient Church of the Nativity is undergoing a long overdue renovation, and its wooden roof and mosaics have been restored in time for Christmas. Palestine
Congress calls Trump’s bluff on threat to cut aid over UN vote Democratic lawmakers made clear they will oppose any move to slash assistance to countries that vote at the United Nations to criticize the president's position on Jerusalem. Palestine
US says Saudis agree to lift blockade on key Yemen port The Saudis announced they will lift a blockade on a key Yemen port after growing pressure from the Trump administration. Saudi Arabia
Are hit squads about to take aim at Turkey's dissidents abroad? A Turkish parliamentarian has told Al-Monitor that Western officials believe dissidents and religious minority leaders in exile are being targeted by Turkish government operatives for assassination. Turkey
