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
Brahimi saves his energy for Geneva III The Geneva II conference may not achieve even minor agreements, much less peace. Syria
Erdogan accuses TUSIAD chairman of treason Muharrem Yilmaz, chairman of the Turkish Industry and Business Association, had accused the prime minster of imposing tax penalties against political opponents. Turkey
Israel's separation fence accommodates settlers This week, the Israeli Supreme Court will hear a petition against the last portion of the separation fence, planned to cut through a unique ancient terrace landscape. Palestine
Iranian TV breaks taboo on music performance Although musicians on a TV show on Jan. 19 were only shown for a few seconds, it has created a stir and rekindled debates about Islam and music. Turkey
Iraq’s imagined conflicts Although Iraqi political forces disagree about many common issues, there are also ideological divides based on exaggerated religious disputes. Iraq
Egypt warns Qatar about interference Egyptian authorities have been frustrated by official statements from Doha expressing Qatari concern about increasing violence in Egypt, as Cairo considers it interfering in its internal affairs. Qatar
Russia's Kurdish dilemma Russia seeks to place its Kurdish policies in the broader context of a changing Middle East. Iraq
Turkey deals with terrorist blowback on Syria Turkey may be resetting its regional policies in response to popular discontent and the threat from terrorist groups operating in Syria. Syria
Egypt’s factions divided over Jan. 25 celebrations The political powers in Egypt are divided over whether to celebrate the anniversary of the January 25 Revolution, but they all expect bloodshed. Egypt
End of the Shimon Peres era in Israel Israeli President Shimon Peres receives the Spirit of Davos Award as he soon plans to depart the stage as Israel's visionary elder statesman. Israel
Israelis debate classroom freedom of speech In the past week, the educational system, the Knesset and the Israeli government have all dealt with an incident in which a 12th-grade student caused a stir around a teacher who expressed left-wing views in the classroom. Israel
Turkey under pressure over jihadists on border The recent terrorist bombing at the border and the acrimonious exchange between the Turkish and Syrian foreign ministers at Geneva II hints at the extent to which Turkey has become embroiled in the Syria conflict. Syria
