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
The Palestinians’ new peace initiative Pragmatic Fatah members are developing a proposal for a new interim agreement, which would establish a transitional state until negotiations on a permanent status solution are launched. Palestine
Demolition contractors defy unemployment in Upper Egypt Since the 1950s, the majority of the residents of the Egyptian village of Naza Qarar have been working in the demolition of buildings and sale of rubble, but the government’s recent decisions of liberalizing the dollar exchange rate and raising fuel prices has deteriorated their financial situation. Egypt
How Palestinians in this Egyptian village are holding on to customs Palestinians who forcibly left Palestine in 1948 settled in Gezira Fadel, a small village in Egypt, where they have adapted to their surroundings while preserving their customs and traditions. Palestine
Netanyahu's diplomatic world war Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's diplomatic world war against countries that voted for the UN Security Council Resolution 2334 has left Israeli ministers and diplomats panicked, tongue-tied and anonymously expressing dissatisfaction. Palestine
Ballerinas perform in Cairo streets Two Egyptian directors launched a project to photograph ballerinas dancing in the streets of Cairo to highlight the capital’s beauty and art scene. Egypt
Why breakfast is Turkey's most important meal of the new year While New Year's celebrations have become a contentious issue in Turkey, everyone joins in on the festivity of the country's first-day breakfasts in fancy restaurants and hotels. Turkey
Foreign volunteer unit fights to save lives in Syria In northern Syria, a group of volunteer Western combat medics assists the wounded in battles against the Islamic State. Syria
What challenges await Lebanon’s new government? The newly approved Lebanese government faces many difficult issues, including adoption of an electoral law ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections in May, as the political blocs are divided over the matter. Lebanon
How will Tunisia handle Hamas engineer assassination? The assassination in southern Tunisia of Mohammed Alzoari, a Tunisian engineer and member of Hamas, stirred calls for the Tunisian government to investigate Israel, which was accused of being behind the death. Israel
The EU giveth, Israel taketh away in West Bank The European Union keeps funding projects in the West Bank's Area C, and Israel keeps demolishing them. Palestine
Why Hamas, Fatah finally agreed to convene The Palestinian Legislative Council held an emergency meeting in December, apparently the first to include Fatah members since 2007, but analysts are not optimistic that it will affect the political stalemate. Palestine
Why does Iraq want to bring back dismissed security forces? The Iraqi parliament wants to implement a decision to repatriate Iraqi soldiers who abandoned their posts during the rise of the Islamic State in 2014, but some are worried about the motives behind the decision. Iraq
