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
How Hamas is looking to boost foreign ties In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Hamas' foreign relations chief Osama Hamdan revealed that the movement's leadership met a delegation of European diplomats and expressed optimism toward Hamas' future standing in Europe. Palestine
Kerry defends US vote on Israeli settlements US Secretary of State John Kerry, in an impassioned speech Dec. 28, defended the US decision to abstain on a UN Security Council resolution criticizing Israeli settlements. Palestine
Egypt's first female bodyguard smashes gender barriers Hind Wajih has broken stereotypes to become Egypt's first certified female bodyguard. Egypt
Turkey cuts Syria deal with Russia, confronts Western allies As Turkey and Russia reach agreement on a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is accusing his Western partners in the anti-IS coalition of tacitly supporting the fanatical group. Syria
Why is Turkey so focused on Syria's al-Bab? From a military point of view, al-Bab is a strategically unimportant town in the Syrian conflict, but that hasn't stopped Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from obsessing over the town's liberation from the Islamic State. Syria
'Grave sleepers' shock Iranians An article on homeless drug addicts taking shelter in pre-prepared graves in a cemetery shakes Iranian society. Iran
Obama's 'total surprise' for Netanyahu Israeli sources revealed to Al-Monitor some of the alleged evidence showing the United States was deeply involved in advancing UN Security Council Resolution 2334 condemning settlements. Palestine
Why Rouhani’s social housing scheme faces more than bumpy start The Rouhani administration’s long-delayed scheme to provide social housing for marginalized households finally appears ready to be implemented — but not without a bumpy start. Iran
Why rift between Iran’s moderates, hard-liners is really about republicanism The continuing public feud between Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ayatollah Mohammad-Taghi Mesbah Yazdi suggests that the revolutionary clash between moderates and hard-liners over the nature of the Islamic Republic of Iran is far from over. Iran
Why Iran’s 'green gold' is set to rebound Despite being hit by climate change and sanctions, Iran’s millennia-old pistachio production appears set to increase production and export. United States
What is Rouhani seeking to achieve with his Citizens’ Rights Charter? Barely out from the printing press, the Iranian president’s long-promised Citizens’ Rights Charter is coming under fire, and not just for coming five months before his bid for re-election. Iran
Egypt considers blocking doctors from working abroad In the midst of a domestic shortage of doctors and nurses, an Egyptian parliament member has proposed a bill requiring health workers to spend 10 years working in Egypt's public hospitals before they would be permitted to travel abroad. Egypt
