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 AKP pits Kurd against Kurd Attempts by the leaders of Turkey's ruling party to cast a Kurdish Islamist party as an alternative to the PKK are raising serious questions and feeding old rivalries. Turkey
EU: Iran nuclear talks set for Jan. 18 in Geneva Nuclear talks between political directors from Iran and the P5+1 will be held in Geneva Jan. 18, preceded by meetings of the United States, Iran and Russia. Iran
Why Israel's PA tax freeze will backfire Israeli politicians cling to the assumption that punitive measures against the Palestinian Authority will create deterrence and prevent its leadership from diplomatic moves, not realizing that such an approach causes Israel strategic damage. Palestine
Iran-Iraq war photo re-enactment goes viral The photograph, which many mistakenly believe features the children of the original veterans, is the latest of many popular Iranian efforts to keep the era's spirit of solidarity alive. Iran
Egypt forces Brotherhood judges to retire To rid the Egyptian judiciary system of any opposition party, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi issued three presidential decrees forcing Muslim Brotherhood judges to retire. Egypt
Jordanians' response to executions mixed Jordan’s execution of 11 prisoners last month took the kingdom by surprise and drew a mixed response, including among the royal family, with one prince criticizing it as a “step backward” for the country. Jordan
Yemen falling out of Saudis' grasp Saudi Arabia is struggling to form an effective Yemen strategy as its three main adversaries — the Shiite Houthis, al-Qaeda and the Muslim Brotherhood — continue to dominate the Yemeni arena. Saudi Arabia
Refugee, Lebanese women forge friendships A project to produce mouneh, the traditional processing of vegetables, fruits, flowers and herbs into jarred preserves, is bringing Lebanese women together with Syrian and Iraqi refugees. Lebanon
Islamic State rejected Gaza jihadists' offer of allegiance A prominent pro-Islamic State Salafist leader in Gaza says the militant group refused pledges of allegiance from jihadists in Gaza because of disagreements and divisiveness among them. Palestine
Teenage suicide bomber hopes for second chance In an interview with Al-Monitor, Usaid Barho, a teenaged suicide bomber dispatched by the Islamic State, tells of his odyssey from an Aleppo mosque to the gates of a Shiite house of worship in Baghdad wearing an explosive vest. Iraq
Senior Fatah official: 'PA will never be disbanded' In an interview with Al-Monitor, Senior Fatah official Jibril Rajoub dismissed calls by colleagues that the Palestinian Authority might be disbanded in response to Israel withholding Palestinian tax revenue. Palestine
Why Israeli Arabs aren't voting in the next elections Residents of the Israeli Arab city Umm al-Fahm cited ongoing discrimination in employment and development resources as why they would not vote in upcoming elections. Israel
