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
Iran hard-liners ask judiciary to detain president’s brother Iranian hard-liners are once again accusing President Hassan Rouhani’s brother of economic corruption and asking the judiciary to detain him. Iran
What has King Salman achieved in his two-year reign? Saudi Arabia's plan to transform the kingdom by the year 2030 will not be realized until the war on Yemen stops. Saudi Arabia
Car bomb strikes Turkey's Izmir The Turkish city of Izmir has become the latest target in a spate of terror attacks. Turkey
Turkey: Winner or loser in Syria? There is unfortunately every indicator that terror will continue to hit Turkey in force during 2017. Syria
How Israel's populist politicians campaigned for Hebron shooter The family of Sgt. Elor Azaria was hoping that a populist right-wing campaign in support of their son would save him from conviction over the fatal shooting of a wounded Palestinian assailant. Israel
Will improved ties with Russia make Turkey regional player? Not everyone close to the government thinks developing relations with Russia to counterbalance tense ties with the West is the right way to go. Syria
Are ultra-Orthodox taking over this secular Israeli city? Residents of the southern city of Arad are worried about the Gur ultra-Orthodox sect members who are constantly buying apartments there. Israel
Should Iran worry about Putin throwing it under the bus? Iranian officials have always had a pessimistic outlook toward Russia, which could serve them well given the apparent possibility of closer US-Russian relations under Donald Trump. Syria
Amona settlement first test of UN resolution The Israeli government's plan to relocate the evicted Amona settlers to land owned by Palestinian "absentee landlords" directly defies UN Security Council Resolution 2334. Palestine
Smell of death fills Mosul The bodies of Islamic State fighters lie in the streets of the liberated areas of Mosul, which is causing concern about the physical and psychological well-being of the city's residents. Iraq
Palestinians: Kerry speech too little, too late Palestinians welcomed US Secretary of State John Kerry’s strong position on settlements, but do not believe it will positively influence the incoming US administration. Palestine
New marine force in Gaza has Israel on guard Hamas' Interior Ministry in the Gaza Strip has announced the formation of new marine force tasked with protecting Gaza’s shores from smuggling operations, but Israel views the new military branch as part of the resistance. Palestine
