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
Europe, US to offer Israel, Palestine economic benefits The French-British peace initiative will be formally launched after the Israeli elections, offering both sides economic benefits. Palestine
Muslims join Christians for Christmas celebrations in Gaza More Muslims in Gaza are buying Christmas trees and joining in Christmas festivities as an occasion to solidify unity and forget the recent war with Israel. Palestine
Iraqi Shiite pilgrimage takes political turn As the pilgrimage of Arbaeen in Iraq grows in strength, so do its political dimensions. Iraq
Hezbollah, Future Movement eye presidency Hezbollah and the Future Movement have begun a dialogue on filling Lebanon's presidency, offering some reason for hope. Saudi Arabia
Scabies, lice ravage Aleppo neighborhoods The residents of rebel-held Aleppo are suffering from outbreaks of communicable diseases as garbage piles up in neighborhoods lacking water and electricity. Syria
Kurdish Sinjar offensive too late for some Yazidis Whatever the outcome of the battle of Sinjar, it will take a while for Yazidis to regain confidence in the peshmerga, whom they blame for abandoning the town to the Islamic State. Iraq
Livni, Herzog fear the collapse of Liberman's party Potential allies of Avigdor Liberman, such as Isaac Herzog, Tzipi Livni and Moshe Kahlon, might rethink their political attitude toward him, following corruption suspicions against some of his party members. Israel
To beat unemployment, young Gazans turn to birds In light of the repeated Israeli assaults on the Gaza Strip that have destroyed the local economy, some young Palestinians are breeding canaries to overcome poverty and unemployment. Palestine
Outrage as Palestinian soccer team cancels friendly with Iran The Palestinian soccer team canceled a friendly match with Iran, sparking online outrage that it was at the instigation of Iran's competitors. Legacy: Gulf
The massacre Turkey hopes Alevis will forget The government is obstructing memorial observances for the 1978 anti-Alevi massacre in Maras, hoping it will be forgotten. Turkey
Foreigners put brakes on investment in Turkey Foreigners invested only $9.1 billion in Turkey in the first nine months of the year, dashing hopes for a year-end total of $16 billion, while Turks invested $4.2 billion abroad. Turkey
Is Palestinian state only guarantee against Hamas? The Israeli right fears the campaign has moved from the “Iran nuke danger” to “Hamas’ takeover of the West Bank,” ignoring regional concerns for Israel’s security and aligning with their wish to avoid Hamas empowerment. Palestine
