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
Saudi Arabia's Gulf Union project includes military dimension Saudi Arabia begins 2014 with an assertive plan for regional leadership. Saudi Arabia
The year in Palestinian hip-hop The Palestinian hip-hop scene released a broad variety of productions in 2013 that are pushing the genre to another level. Palestine
Egypt's decision fuels vigilante violence against Muslim Brotherhood The Egyptian government's labeling the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization has seemingly fueled vigilante violence against Brotherhood members. Egypt
Chatah assassination marks dangerous escalation After the assassination of Lebanon's former finance minister, efforts must be made to protect Lebanon from further sectarian breakdown. Lebanon
Israel, Hamas caught in 'the Gaza trap' Israel and Hamas are trapped in the same dilemma: avoiding escalation on the Israeli-Gaza border requires cooperation between them, but such cooperation portrays each side as weak. Palestine
Egypt to send public delegations to Nile Basin neighbors Following a recent workshop, the Arab Water Council has decided to send public delegations from Egypt to other Nile Basin countries to strengthen ties and calm the crisis over water shares. Egypt
Romanian FM: Obama should intervene in Israeli-Palestinian talks Romanian Foreign Minister Titus Corlatean is doubtful about Israelis and Palestinians arriving to an agreement soon, unless US President Barack Obama intervenes. Israel
Israel uses storm to locate Gaza tunnels A new report indicates that Israeli intelligence took advantage of the recent storm that hit the Gaza Strip to locate Hamas-operated tunnels by tracking storm damage and sinkholes. Palestine
Iran's billboard guide to family planning teaches 'the more, the merrier' New billboards in Tehran encouraging families to have more children have been criticized as sexist and dismissive of the serious economic issues Iranians face. Iran
Southern suburbs stand apart in Beirut Al-Monitor tours Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of Hezbollah, to learn more about life there and residents’ views on Hezbollah’s Syria policy. Lebanon
Turkish corruption probe hurts foreign relations Following its corruption scandal, Turkey's relations with Arab states, the United States and Europe have undoubtedly been affected, though no immediate foreign crisis has arisen. Turkey
Famous diva's 'fondness' for Nasrallah stirs controversy Lebanese artist, musician and playwright Ziad Rahbani stirred controversy when he said in an interview that his mother, the acclaimed Lebanese diva Fairouz, was ‘fond’ of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Lebanon
