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
Sochi summit leaves Turkey facing unsavory possibilities It's unknown how far Moscow will go to appease Ankara with regard to the Syrian Kurds. Syria
70 years on, Israel continues to ignore UN partition plan While Arab countries are willing to recognize Israel and advance toward regional peace, Israel refuses to accept the principle of the 1947 UN Resolution 181 for the partition of the land. Palestine
Sinai massacre forebodes more violence Egypt's Sinai Peninsula may be in store for more terrorism as the latest attack that left more than 300 people dead at al-Rawda Sufi mosque could be a sign of things to come from militant groups in the area. Egypt
Russia seeks closer military-technical cooperation with UAE Russia is looking to revive its lapsed status as a major weapons supplier to the United Arab Emirates and to develop collaborative technology projects. United Arab Emirates
Hamas' survival strategy Fixing Palestinian elections for 2018 offers Hamas some time to negotiate the preservation of its military forces in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Why so many Turks took Black Friday as insult to Islam It may have looked silly when thousands of Turks took to Twitter to condemn Black Friday sales, but their frenzy tells an ominous story. Turkey
Christian school in Basra welcomes Muslim students For the first time since the 1970s, an interfaith Christian school is set to open in the conservative Iraqi city of Basra. Iraq
Four-year-old siege still punishing civilians in Syria's Yarmouk camp Despite talk of negotiations and a breakthrough, the siege imposed by the Syrian regime on the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus continues to claim the lives of civilians. Syria
The uncertain future of Palestinian security forces Egypt stands ready to unify Palestinian security forces through an organizational overhaul and training, but Hamas may not be accepting of the offer. Palestine
Cairo women ride in peace with first female bus driver New driver Umm Abdalla's all-female passengers can breathe easy as she navigates her full-size bus through Giza traffic. Egypt
Iran prosecutor gets two years for being 'accessory to murder' of protesters A former Iranian prosecutor receives a two-year sentence for murders at a notorious prison. Iran
Earthquake response shows Iranians' nationalism — and mistrust of authorities While ordinary Iranians’ response to the deadly Nov. 12 earthquake has been a show of national solidarity, it also displayed mistrust in authorities. Iran
