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
51 years after its founding, where is Fatah heading? The Fatah movement is torn between the moderate forces and those who wish to reignite a violent confrontation with Israel, 51 years after its establishment. Palestine
Why Turkey’s beaches, hard liquor are losing allure among Iranians The deteriorating security situation in eastern Turkey coupled with Ankara's hostile rhetoric toward Iran is decreasing the allure of Turkey's liberal beach resorts among Iranians. Turkey
Will Green Movement haunt Iran’s upcoming elections? The body that vets candidates in Iran says it will review statements made by candidates as part of the contested 2009 elections. Iran
Why Israeli Russians insist on celebrating Novy God Many Israelis reject the Russian Novy God New Year's celebrations, mistakenly perceiving it to be a Christian holiday, but this year the Israeli-Russian community launches a campaign to celebrate it jointly with all Israelis. Israel
How these Israelis gave the biggest gift of all The ultra-Orthodox organization Matnat Chaim (Gift of Life) encourages religious Jews to donate their kidneys to strangers. Israel
Rivals jockey for control in Egypt’s parliament Egypt's parliamentary election is over, but now the battle begins for control in shaping a new government. Egypt
Turkey’s foreign policy prospects for 2016 not so promising Analysts say the AKP government has itself to blame for Turkey’s loss of prestige and influence in its region, where it has more rivals than friends today. Iraq
Amid financial hardship, Erdogan looks to Qatar as 'rich daddy' Turkey’s leadership, increasingly isolated in the region amid spats with Russia and Iraq, knocks on the doors of Israel and Qatar, with the latter providing much-needed foreign investment. Qatar
Cyberattacks reveal Turkey’s weaknesses Computer servers in Turkey have been the targets of a major cyberattack for the past two weeks. Turkey
Can tourism be revived in ancient Iraqi city? Iraqis living near the ancient city of Nuffar say the site should be developed to attract tourism after years of official neglect. Iraq
Saudi anti-terrorism coalition raises eyebrows in Lebanon Saudi Arabia’s anti-terrorism Islamic coalition has sparked mixed reactions in Lebanon as some parties had no idea their country was a listed member. Saudi Arabia
How Israel’s justice minister went from villain to victim in debate over new law Two Israeli professors are accused of slandering Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked over her bill requiring nongovernmental organizations that receive substantial foreign funding to wear special badges in the Knesset. Israel
