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
Erdogan more isolated than ever on Syria The Turkish president is on the defensive after Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian warplane; the Syrian war enters a more dangerous phase. Saudi Arabia
Meetings between Turkish, Russian military reveal that Moscow had been warned Turkey and Russia both seem determined to obtain the dominant position in shaping Syria's future. Syria
Congress threatens to shut down government over Syrian refugees A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Nov. 30. Iraq
How Turkey's new minimum wage may end up hurting employees Employers who don’t want to pay Turkey's pending minimum wage increase are threatening to relocate facilities or hire illegal Syrian workers for low wages. Syria
Hebron radio stations closed for 'exercising incitement' The Israeli army has closed three Palestinian radio stations in Hebron so far, a step that concerned parties say will only escalate the violence witnessed in the Palestinian territories. Palestine
Will Canada change its policy toward Iran? Canada's new Liberal prime minister has expressed an interest in changing policy toward Iran — but will rapprochement happen any time soon? Iran
After shooting down Russian jet, what's next for Turkey? The Syrian army offensive backed by Russia in the region northeast of Latakia and the downing of a Russian Su-24 by Turkey leaves many to wonder which scenario will play out in the coming weeks . Syria
Are Turkey, Saudi Arabia pressuring Jordan on terror blacklist? Jordan has been tasked with overseeing which groups fighting in Syria are designated as terrorist organizations, but its mission is complicated by alliances in the region. Saudi Arabia
Will there be a 'Kurdish AKP' in Turkey? Turkey’s ruling party appears to be on a quest to weaken the Kurdish political movement by promoting divisions and polarization in the Kurdish community. Turkey
Will Palestine shun the shekel? Many Palestinian officials consider dethroning the shekel as a necessary step toward limiting Palestine's economic ties with Israel. Palestine
Egypt announces deal to reopen Rafah crossing, but when will it actually open? Despite the fact that opening the Rafah crossing is an urgent humanitarian need for Gaza residents, it remains subject to political considerations associated with the quarreling factions: Hamas and Fatah. Palestine
Is Lebanon preparing to support Russia's intervention in Syria? When Russia asked airlines in Lebanon to change their routes for conducting military drills to ensure air traffic safety, the matter was blown out of proportion to the point that some considered Russia to have violated Lebanon’s sovereignty. Lebanon
