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
Is Iran following Russia’s lead in Syria? Russian diplomatic blitz on Syria includes building bridges between Iran and Turkey. Syria
Can public outcry in southern Iraq end Maliki’s political ambitions? Nouri al-Maliki, the former prime minister who now is one of Iraq’s vice presidents, was faced with demonstrations staged by angry residents of the three southern provinces he was visiting as part of an early effort to increase his chances of returning to power in local and parliamentary elections slated for 2018. Iraq
Does New Year's nightclub attack signal tough year ahead for Turkey? As transnational networks of the Islamic State come under increasing pressure in Iraq and Syria, they are likely to shift to Turkey, while Ankara still gives priority to the Kurdistan Workers Party. Iraq
Deciphering Iran’s sudden currency fluctuations Although Iran's business community has been unsettled by the recent fluctuations in the value of the national currency, the rial rates appear to be on a trajectory to finally become unified. Iran
Three reasons the Islamic State is focused on Turkey While the Islamic State intensifies its activity throughout Turkey, questions are raised as to whether Middle Eastern wars are now engulfing Turkey. Syria
Nightclub attack brings Turkey's IS battle to domestic soil The Istanbul nightclub attack on New Year’s Eve has made Turkey's security deficiencies painfully clear. Turkey
EU wants P4+1 model on Israeli settlements The European Union is considering establishing a P4+1 group, without the United States, dealing separately with the Israeli-Palestinian issue and the Iran file. Palestine
Iraqi Kurdistan oil a slippery issue Ownership of Iraqi Kurdistan oil is a major source of friction between Baghdad and Erbil, while Turkey and Iran compete for lucrative oil transport contracts. Iraq
How did Gaza’s economic elite become day laborers in Israel? Once-prosperous Gaza merchants, having depleted their savings and barely surviving, are using their entry permits into Israel to search for odd jobs. Palestine
First ride-hailing app for Cairo's traditional taxis launched To compete with Uber, Egyptian-owned company Taxi Plus launched a ride-sharing app for local taxi drivers. Egypt
Why Israel, Russia remain chums Russia and Israel will continue to enjoy strong relations despite Russia’s UN Security Council vote for Resolution 2334 condemning the Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. Israel
Why did Oman join Saudi Arabia’s anti-terrorism alliance? Oman joins the 40-member Islamic Military Alliance to Fight Terrorism, yet still strikes a balance while refusing to distance itself from Iran in order to please Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
