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
Is a new approach needed in the war on IS in Iraq? Although achievements have been made on the ground and the Islamic State suffered setbacks, military experts believe other measures should be taken to completely eliminate the organization in Iraq. Iraq
Reading the Quran in Hebrew The recently published fifth translation of the Quran into Hebrew is also the first one executed by a Muslim believer. Israel
King Bibi's dangerous legacy Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to appoint loyal officials to Israel's most sensitive legal positions, leaving him free to endanger Israel with his policies. Israel
Will Egypt’s schools break sex education taboo? Egyptian NGOs launch a series of campaigns to combat violence against women by including sex education in school curricula. Egypt
Iranian cleric calls out Egypt's Al-Azhar for anti-Shiite activities An Iranian grand ayatollah wrote an open letter to Al-Azhar regarding the university's anti-Shiite essay competition. Iran
Saudi Arabia's mounting security challenges Saudi Arabia's battle in Yemen and conflicts with Iran, coupled with the fall in the price of oil, point to a trying 2016 for the kingdom. Legacy: Gulf
Young Israelis do whatever it takes to buy a home In spite of promises by politicians and social activists, Israelis do not believe that housing prices are going to drop anytime soon — so they will do everything in their power just to buy a home. Israel
Why Abbas should rethink Palestinian support for Islamic coalition Some Palestinians see President Mahmoud Abbas' decision to participate in the Saudi-led Islamic coalition as a step to turn the world's attention away from their suffering under Israel’s practices. Saudi Arabia
Turkey goes all in on drones Ankara is rushing to manufacture unmanned aerial vehicles for economic, political and military reasons, but Turkey needs to develop a drone doctrine and consider the ethical ramifications before their use proliferates. Turkey
Why have the ultra-Orthodox turned their back on Rivlin? Before being elected, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin nurtured close ties with the ultra-Orthodox community, but recently a rift has opened between the two sides. Israel
War-weary Kurds return to bunkers in Cizre Kurdish residents of a town cut off from the outside world tell Al-Monitor of their "primitive" existence in basement shelters as Turkish soldiers and police battle Kurdish militants entrenched in residential areas. Turkey
Turkey's religious conservatives bemoan 'dangers of Christmas' Christmas and New Year's festivities have become an indication of hard-core religious conservatives’ fear of increasing secularization in Turkey. Turkey
