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
Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs live in fear of attacks Following a string of attacks by extremist groups targeting the mostly pro-Hezbollah southern suburbs of Beirut, locals in this area carry on with their lives, although with tightened security measures. Lebanon
Settlement mayor: Renouncing Jordan Valley will destroy Likud Ma'ale Adumim settlement Mayor Benny Kasriel says, ''Anyone who'll concede the Jordan Valley will find himself out of the Likud Party.'' Palestine
Al-Qaeda benefits from unsettled Yemen politics Yemen’s Gulf Initiative, which gave President Ali Abdullah Saleh and many of his officers immunity in exchange for stepping down, has been followed by a rise in extremism. Yemen
Ruins of Gaza airport tell sad tale Twelve years have passed since Israel destroyed Gaza's international airport, and there's no hope it will be rehabilitated anytime soon. Palestine
Egypt’s missing political middle The answer to Egypt’s political crisis is for the middle class and the country's revolutionaries to build durable secular political alternatives. Egypt
Iraqi 'Ninth Studio' avoids TV's sectarian divide Although Iraqi media outlets gained some freedoms post-2003, in the past 10 years much of the country’s media has been highly sectarian, but a few outlets are challenging that stereotype. Iraq
Tehran Stock Exchange plunges, baffling investors Why is Iran’s stock exchange falling under President Hassan Rouhani and after the easing of sanctions? Turkey
New Saudi writers offer form of Islamic liberation theology A new generation of Saudi writers is blending Islam and global values for freedom and dignity in calling for reform. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan visit to Iran to address Syria, economic ties The visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Tehran will offer an opportunity to defuse tensions on Syria while expanding economic relations. Syria
Pope's statement in Davos a rare moment of hope Pope Francis' statement read at Davos was a counterbalance to political unrest and economic uncertainty around the world. Lebanon
Ya'alon blamed for neglecting Israelis living near Gaza Heads of localities in southern Israel near Gaza blame Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon for neglecting their security, following decision to cut back the defense budget despite the turmoil in the Sinai Peninsula. Palestine
Russia can't lose in oil deal with Iran Russia is seeking to expand trade ties with Iran and is angling to benefit from any lifting of international sanctions on Iran. Turkey
![A Russian supertanker is anchored by Neka oil terminal, 300 km north-east of [Tehran], during an inauguration ceremony of the first phase of an oil swap project with Iran's Caspian neighbours, April 29, 2004. [ Under the project Iran will take crude from Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and transfer them through pipelines to refineries in the cities of Tehran and Tabriz.] - RTXMLA4](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/01/RTXMLA4.jpg/RTXMLA4.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=Ht0Xk3dl)
