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
Iranian navy 'enters Atlantic for first time' — or did it? Iranian officials say the country's navy has entered the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Iran
The final nail in the coffin of peace process in Turkey Following the detention of the mayor of Mardin, reviving the peace process between Kurdish militants and the Turkish government is no more than a pipe dream. Syria
Ankara intensifies strikes against YPG, moves to arrest PYD leader As Turkey continues its struggle with the Syrian Kurdish militants allied with the United States against the Islamic State in Syria, Ankara has issued a warrant for the arrest of Salih Muslim, the co-chair of the group's political arm. Syria
Turkey backpedals on statutory rape proposal Turkey is reconsidering — but not abandoning — a law that would treat perpetrators of statutory rape as "victims," which some fear could open the door to polygamy, honor killings and legalizing marriage at puberty. Turkey
Is Erdogan giving up on EU aspirations? A proposal to join the Russian- and Chinese-led Shanghai Cooperation Organization gets lukewarm reception, even among Turkish Islamists. Turkey
Egypt’s Nubians protest for right to return to their lands Nubians in southern Egypt have staged demonstrations and roadblocks in recent days, protesting a government takeover of what they claim to be part of their ancestral homeland. Egypt
How the call to prayer is uniting Israel's Arabs, ultra-Orthodox Ultra-Orthodox Knesset members have joined forces with Joint List Knesset members in objecting to the bill preventing the muezzin call to prayer. Israel
Is Iran’s Guardian Council trying to tame lawmakers? The Guardian Council’s apparent attempt to extend its powers to include supervision of members of parliament faces pushback from the government and lawmakers. Iran
Were Israeli ministers the last to learn about Gaza tunnels? According to different sources, Israeli Cabinet ministers did not receive information about the tunnels dug by Hamas in 2014, though the information was gathered by Israeli intelligence and was transferred to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestine
Iraq seeks to merge PMU militias under new image Popular Mobilization Units leaders are meeting with Western politicians and diplomats regularly, trying to improve the group's reputation in the West. Iraq
Saudi Arabia contemplates Trump Saudi Arabia is pleased with strong talk from US President-elect Donald Trump, but also has worries about his positions on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and on recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Saudi Arabia
Russia adjusts Syria plan as Obama’s term nears end Russia is trying to figure out all the Middle East scenarios that might affect it under a Donald Trump presidency. Syria
