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
Lebanese domestic workers to unionize Domestic workers in Lebanon are working together to create a union to push for their rights and thwart potential abuses. Lebanon
Egypt hopes economic conference will yield results Egypt's economic conference in Sharm el-Sheikh was considered a success in terms of agreements to foster Egypt’s economy, but some projects will only be implemented in the long run. Egypt
Growing mushrooms in Gaza Many families of the Gaza Strip have lost their conventional breadwinners, pushing women to tap into mushroom cultivation as a vital alternative. Palestine
Will Egypt seek Nile River agreement with upstream countries? In an interview with Al-Monitor, executive director of the Nile Basin Initiative, John Rao Nyaoro, discusses Egypt’s shift on the Entebbe Agreement and negotiations to form a regional commission. Egypt
Big love in Turkey The approval of applications to run in the June elections by three polygamous candidates of the Turkish People's Democracy Party indicates that while the practice is illegal, the idea of marrying multiple wives could be acceptable by society. Turkey
Iran wages psychological war against IS Iran is waging a psychological war against the Islamic State in Iraq, promoting and highlighting the prominent role of Iraqi fighters among the country's paramilitary groups. Iraq
What is Khamenei thinking on removing sanctions? Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, said that the removal of sanctions has to be part of the nuclear agreement, not something that happens after the deal. Iran
Israeli ultra-Orthodox parties may tip the balance Demographic tendencies indicate there will be a continuing growth of the Israeli Arab and ultra-Orthodox populations, thus guaranteeing their sectorial parties more political power in next elections. Israel
Hamas wonders if Bibi victory will lead to war As soon as the Israeli elections results were announced, Hamas expressed its concern that Benjamin Netanyahu might start a fourth war against Palestinians. Palestine
Russia keeps close watch on Yemen Russia is not likely to get too involved in the Yemen crisis, preferring instead to monitor developments from afar and choose its allies carefully. Yemen
Khamenei calls for greater domestic production In his New Year's speech, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, the Iranian supreme leader, urges greater national economic cooperation and says the country needs more domestic capacity building as part as being an "economy of resistance." Iran
Saudi anguish over Iranian gains The withdrawal of the remaining US military personnel from Yemen only adds to Riyadh's desperation, with Riyadh worried that Washington's priority is a nuclear deal with Tehran, not stopping Iranian subversion in the Arab world. Saudi Arabia
