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
Herzog pushes Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic envelope Isaac Herzog has presented in Israel and in France a new relevant diplomatic plan, which could bypass the current diplomatic stalemate while offering Israelis security. Israel
How one controversial Tel Aviv clinic is helping transgender youth A special clinic in Tel Aviv has quietly treated transgender youths for the last three years while Israeli society gradually warms to the idea of gender reassignment. Israel
Israeli land grab threatens Palestinian church Israel’s confiscation of Palestinian land is in the spotlight once again, this time for annexing the Beit al-Baraka church to a Jewish settlement in the West Bank after a shady deal over its ownership. Palestine
Israel's defense minister plays the moderate card While Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon is treated as a hero for his temporary refusal to let settlers invade two houses in Hebron, let's not forget his past and certain future support for the settlement enterprise. Palestine
Who was behind Saudi Embassy attack in Iran? Iranian officials have announced the name of the main culprits behind the attack on the Saudi Embassy in Iran. Saudi Arabia
How Turkey is losing a top trade partner Turkey is experiencing a serious but underreported crisis with its biggest export market in the Gulf. Saudi Arabia
Turkey grants Syrians right to work, but is it too little, too late? Ankara has finally granted Syrians the right to work in a belated move to stop more highly qualified refugees’ flight to Europe. Turkey
The AKP's strange bedfellows When Dogu Perincek, the leader of the ultra-left and ultranationalist Patriotic Party, announces a "united front" with Turkey's ruling AKP, one should see why. Turkey
Will new constitution help Algeria? The Algerian opposition has criticized the draft constitution as being nonconsensual and as not addressing the country’s real crisis. Algeria
Gas price hike, subsidy cuts shake up Saudis The Saudi government's new year is off to a shaky start financially — a burden it's sharing with its citizens, leaving them to wonder just how bad things will get. Saudi Arabia
The truth about the Saudi executions Why the executions of cleric Nimr al-Nimr and three other Shiites in Saudi Arabia are not the result of Sunni-Shiite sectarianism as many have claimed. Legacy: Gulf
Why Hamas hopes to keep low profile in Saudi-Iranian tensions In light of the escalating dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Hamas has remained silent to maintain good ties with each party, as both have provided it with financial or military support. Saudi Arabia
