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
What it takes to smuggle information out of IS strongholds in Syria Media activists in Deir ez-Zor face daily death threats by the Islamic State, but the danger is not stopping many of them from documenting what is happening in the Syrian province. Syria
US says it's 'game over' for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations According to a senior Obama administration official, Israeli-Palestinian negotiations are definitely over for the next 14 months, leaving the two parties to contemplate a binational state and war. Palestine
Turkey’s red line in Syria under attack Syrian military advances, backed by Russia, threaten Turkmen and Jabhat al-Nusra forces along the border with Turkey; Russia and Israel understand each other on Syria; Israel’s’ "small joy" in clash with EU over settlements. Israel
Congress focuses on Islamic State threat from Europe A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Dec. 7. Iraq
Continued conflict clogging up Renaissance Dam negotiations Egypt may have procrastinated itself into a corner as it passively awaits a solution to concerns about how the already-underway Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam will affect its water supply. Egypt
Why is the dollar surging in Iran? In Iran, the dollar rate is rising, potentially harming Rouhani and his allies ahead of crucial elections. Can, and will, Rouhani and the Central Bank move in to counter this surge? Iran
Turkey takes a hit from the Russian hammer Moscow is bringing its hammer down on Ankara following Turkey’s downing of a Russian warplane late last month, crushing Erdogan’s aspirations for autonomy from the West in foreign and security policy. Turkey
How to improve Egypt's media law Abdel Latif El-Menawy, the former head of Egyptian state TV who now heads Al Ghad Al Arabi satellite TV, explained in an interview with Al-Monitor why the Egyptian media has deviated from its role, and what the field needs now. Egypt
Will Turkey be able to replace Russian gas with Qatari imports? Although Qatar cannot replace Russian gas for Turkey, it is promising to see that Ankara is exploring new strategies for diversifying its long‐term energy supply. Qatar
The high price of Russian bombs in Syria Russia’s use of blind aerial bombings could win the war in Syria cheaply, yet at a great cost. Syria
Why is Israel's culture minister cutting funding to culture? Culture Minister Miri Regev threatens to withdraw funding of the 48 mm Tel Aviv film festival dedicated to the Nakba. Palestine
Gazans' dark secret? They've become chocoholics Chocolate used to be on the Israeli list of banned items, but not anymore, as chocolate shops have been proliferating in light of the increasing demand in Gaza. Palestine
