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
Tel Aviv taxi passengers treated to Hebrew masterpieces — in Arabic Israeli taxi driver Moshe Choresh and his wife, Sandra, are gaining fame for their personal project to translate Israeli musical masterpieces into Arabic, which they record and play for Moshe's clients during their rides. Israel
Egyptian speaker accuses MPs of 'terrorizing' parliament A standoff erupted between House Speaker Ali Abdul Aal and members of the 25-30 bloc after bloc members objected to the value added tax law, saying it would "increase the burden on Egyptian citizens." Egypt
Turkey reaches critical crossroads in Syria Turkey has an important decision to make now that it has helped Free Syrian Army troops win a major battle for border control in northern Syria. Syria
Is Abdullah Ocalan key to peace between Turkey, PKK? Many Kurds believe Abdullah Ocalan holds the key to peace between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers Party, but does he retain the power to deliver? Syria
How US cash payments story played out in Iran While Washington’s $1.7 billion payment to Iran caused controversy in the US, it was a non-story in Iran. United States
Why are Iranian web trolls targeting Malia Obama? In Iran, prominent actors and sportsmen urge netizens to join a campaign to block trolls as online hate appears to increasingly spiral out of control. United States
Will Israeli-Palestinian conflict escalate in December? Both Israel and the Palestinians are using the period of international deadlock at the end of 2016 to consolidate their support bases instead of advancing dialogue initiatives. Palestine
Will Israelis living overseas gain right to vote? Israeli politicians from across the political map are advancing a law to allow Israeli expatriates, not just diplomats, to vote in absentia in Israel's elections. Israel
Does Iranian law green light encounters with US warships? The legal arguments underpinning US and Iranian views on the Law of the Sea should not be overlooked as tensions once again mount over the passage of US military vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. United States
Culinary training program cooks up job training for Gaza To meet the growing needs of Gaza's flourishing restaurant industry, one woman has created a first-of-its-kind project to teach the culinary arts in partnership with the Smile Training and Development Center. Palestine
Why it's crunch time for Israeli left The Israeli left is at its lowest point in its history and must reinvent itself to survive. Israel
Will Sisi run for second term? Considering economic setbacks and heightened political oppression under Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's watch, some are questioning his chances of success if he runs for a second term. Egypt
