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
Turkey's Protestants complain of discrimination, harassment A report by Turkey's tiny Protestant community shows some progress in the country, but also plenty of continuing bigotry. Turkey
Abbas’ presence at Paris rally boosts Palestinian legitimacy The appearance of President Mahmoud Abbas alongside world leaders at the France unity rally will help his campaign for Palestinian independence. Palestine
Dempsey says Iran’s role in Iraq might be 'positive' Americans consider Islamic State, not Iran, as top threat to US in Mideast; terrorists in Syria planning “mass casualty attacks” in West; Salafists in Gaza look to Islamic State. Palestine
Mixed Turkish reactions to Paris massacre The government’s attempt to be politically correct in its condemnation of the attack on Charlie Hebdo is not reflected by all elements of the ruling party and the Islamist media. Turkey
Negotiations to free Lebanese soldiers remain at impasse The hostage takers have demanded the demilitarization of areas on the Lebanese-Syrian border and the release of prisoners, both of which have been met with significant opposition by the Lebanese political establishment. Lebanon
Why Nigeria abstained in UN Palestine vote Israel-Nigeria bilateral relations reached a peak last week, with the latter abstaining in the UN Security Council vote on the Palestinian statehood resolution. Israel
Divisions in Iran stall nuclear deal, says ex-US negotiator Secretary of State John Kerry will meet Iran Foreign Minister Zarif in Geneva Jan. 14, ahead of a new round of nuclear talks. Iran
Could Russia broker Middle East peace? Though Russia has been often proposed as a mediator for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, there is no indication that Moscow would be able to assure Israel’s security or financial support for the Palestinian Authority. Palestine
Iran's new group in Iraq: Saraya al-Khorasani Saraya al-Khorasani appears to have more direct contact and cooperation with Iran than other groups and militias it has ties with. Iraq
Lapid: Abbas can't compromise without Arab support In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Finance Minister Yair Lapid argues that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas needs Arab support to compromise on the Palestinian right of return and on Jerusalem. Palestine
Novelist chronicles Egypt’s rough revolutionary road Alaa Al Aswany, the author of "The Yacoubian Building," has published a compendium of newspaper columns that trace the arc of Egypt’s recent political upheavals from the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011 to the election of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi last year. Egypt
Turkey faces demining delays Having stalled for a decade, Turkey risks further delays in meeting its international obligations to clear vast minefields, most of them along the Syrian border. Syria
