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
Iconic Armenian church survives war but not plunder in Turkey The Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Diyarbakir enters the Christmas season as a victim of plunder and vandalism, despite its location in a sealed-off area with heavy security presence. Turkey
Will Tehran be able to withstand 'long overdue' quake? The recent earthquake in western Iran renews talk of how prepared Tehran is for a big quake, which experts say is long overdue. Iran
Iranians furious over rumors of 70% increase in MP salaries Rumors of an impending 70% increase in Iranian parliament members' salaries have angered the public and media. Iran
Pro-Erdogan media targets Saudis after Trump's Jerusalem decision Let's hope Turkey can afford its alienation of Saudi Arabia and Saudi allies for the cause of Jerusalem. Saudi Arabia
Turkey closes door to bitcoin Against the backdrop of a global bitcoin frenzy, the Turkish government has taken a stance against cryptocurrencies. Turkey
Netanyahu works to pre-empt potential indictment Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu already started explaining why he has no intention of quitting if police recommend his indictment. Israel
Kurdistan quickly descending into chaos For a third day, thousands of angry protesters turned out in Sulaimaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan and clashed with security forces as the KRG faces a governing crisis. Iraq
Abbas' diplomatic offensive Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that he will apply for Palestine to join 22 international agencies and organizations to which Palestinians have a right to full membership. Palestine
Abbas trapped by Trump following Jerusalem proclamation Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is trapped by a US administration that does not understand the regional damage caused by the Jerusalem proclamation. Palestine
Saudi-Egyptian broadcast deal raises issue of censorship In line with the reform campaign launched by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi TV has signed a contract to broadcast two Egyptian-produced series. Saudi Arabia
Children's program fights extremism in Sinai A group of activists are running an educational center in North Sinai to prepare children to face extremist ideology. Egypt
Istanbul summit exposes divisions within Arab world The Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit exposed Arab differences and Arab-Islamic tensions, and the reactions to both the OIC summit and the Arab League meetings were similarly pessimistic. Legacy: Gulf
