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
Iraq wrangling with $26.6 billion budget deficit The parliament is studying Iraq’s controversial 2017 budget this week, with the main challenges coming from a significant deficit and disagreements over allocations. Iraq
IS cells lurking in Iraq's Anbar continue to strike liberated areas Perhaps in retaliation for its successive defeats by the Iraqi army and despite wide efforts to maintain security, the Islamic State is still bombing areas recently liberated from its control. Iraq
Why Israel is closely following Fatah convention As Fatah starts its convention Nov. 29, Israeli intelligence sources warn that the Palestinian youth might turn their anger over the corrupt Palestinian political system to Israel. Palestine
Battle of the generations kicks off in Hamas Young Hamas members are raising their voices against the deteriorating political and economic situation in the Gaza Strip and rejecting ideas by some of their leaders that are inconsistent with their line of thought, as if the era of full compliance with commands is over. Palestine
Egyptian women trample stereotypes with first American football league American flag football is growing in popularity in Egypt, especially among women. Egypt
Qatar steps up its involvement in Tunisia with investment conference The Arab Spring’s nascent democracy is the latest theater where Gulf state rivalries are playing out. United Arab Emirates
Why Russia isn’t rushing to lift sanctions on Turkey Russia appears to be in no hurry to remove all of its sanctions against Turkey, even though it’s been a year since they were imposed. Turkey
Deadly train crash in Iran prompts resignation, arrests The backlash over one of the deadliest train crashes in the history of Iran brings down the head of the country’s railways and leads to the arrests of multiple officials. Iran
Did IS kill Turkish troops in Syria? The Turkish government is remaining silent while some say the Islamic State — not the Syrian air force, as Ankara claims — was responsible for an attack on Turkish forces in northern Syria. Syria
Can international film festival help Egypt revive tourism? Faced with an anemic economy and fears of terrorism, the 38th annual international film festival in Cairo lacked star power and international appeal. Egypt
What do Kurds expect from Trump? Turkey's Kurds are wondering what kind of policy President-elect Donald Trump will follow on Turkey's Kurdish problem. Turkey
How Ankara plans to manage Kurds' religious affairs After firing hundreds of imams in Turkey's southeast region, the Religious Affairs Directorate wants to hand-pick preachers that will help the Kurds remember "real Islam." Turkey
