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
Turkish feminist artist takes on Mount Qaf An exhibition in Istanbul by the Turkish artist CANAN defies gender stereotypes and sexual taboos, marrying the personal with the political. Turkey
Congress acts to jump-start Jordan’s private sector A key House panel voted this week to establish an enterprise fund that Amman had previously resisted. Jordan
Russia seeks well-rounded relations with Libyan factions Russian envoy on Libya Lev Dengov talks with Al-Monitor about Moscow's plans with Libya. Libya
Iran moves to tax its frequent travelers The Rouhani administration has come under fire for proposing higher departure taxes for Iranians who travel frequently. Iran
Trump's Jerusalem move puts US, Turkey on collision course The Organization of Islamic Cooperation convened in Istanbul this week to challenge Trump's decision on Jerusalem while the Trump administration prepares a new potential strategy for how to deal with Turkey. Israel
Turkey backtracking on 'red lines' for Syria's Kurds President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly agreed to accept Kurdish participation at the Syria congress in Sochi, as long as those Kurds do not belong to the Democratic Union Party. Syria
Jordan launches diplomatic offensive against US Jerusalem move How far can Jordan’s king go in opposing the US president's Jerusalem stance without risking a backlash that could hurt his strategic relationship with Washington? Palestine
Wataniya Mobile’s shares in Palestine on a losing streak Wataniya Mobile’s share price on the Palestine Stock Exchange has dropped below $1 following the company’s entry into the Gaza Strip market. Palestine
Gaza's cancer patients face nightmarish struggle to reach treatment In 2017, at least 20 patients in the Gaza Strip have died after not being allowed to access medical treatment in Israel and the West Bank. Palestine
Jordan’s refugees struggle through winter of discontent The UNHCR in Jordan tries to raise funds for refugees before the harsh winter through a handicrafts bazaar. Jordan
No peace meetings on Israeli education minister's watch Minister of Education Naftali Bennett is working not only to promote his ideological and political worldview in the school system, but also to block students from interacting with human rights and peace organizations that advocate values challenging his own. Palestine
