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
Palestinian activism evolves in Prawer protests Nonpartisan Palestinian youths have taken the lead in nationwide protests against Israel's Prawer Plan, breaking away from traditional Palestinian political forces. Palestine
Assassinated Hezbollah leader key to technology, drone operations A source said Hassan al-Laqis was one of Imad Mughniyeh’s “smart students.” Israel
29 things you need to know about Egypt’s draft constitution A primer on some of the noteworthy points ahead of the referendum scheduled for January 2014. Egypt
Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum remains in limbo Although not officially canceled, the fifth Turkish-Arab Cooperation Forum may not be held this year. Egypt
Netanyahu slammed for exploiting late singer to defend lifestyle It was a mistake for the prime minister's advisers to invoke late Israeli singer Arik Einstein's modesty in trying to defend Netanyahu's extravagant expenditures. Israel
Al-Qaeda emerges amid Egypt’s turmoil Information is emerging that al-Qaeda’s growth in the region is extending into the Sinai Peninsula and across Egypt. Egypt
Israel exploits nature, archaeology for settlement expansion Israeli authorities are exploiting archeological sites and nature reserves to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Palestine
Kerry will find pessimism in Palestine On an upcoming visit to the region, US Secretary of State John Kerry will find that the Palestinians have little faith in the ongoing peace talks Palestine
Bethlehem gets assist from UNESCO for Christmas season UNESCO's recognition of the Church of the Nativity as an Endangered World Heritage site has brought much needed funds to revamp the once-popular tourist destination. Palestine
Hamas summons prominent women's rights activist Gaza's Interior Ministry summoned Nadia Abu Nahla, a prominent feminist activist, raising concerns among human rights and civil society groups operating in Gaza. Palestine
Israeli Bedouin and the limits of tolerating intolerance The debate over relocating Bedouin settlements in Israel raises the issue of how far a liberal, multicultural society should go in tolerating the values of different communities when those values are destructive to the communities. Israel
The other Iranian breakthrough The rhetoric from Iran about Israel is still unacceptable, but the nuclear deal, while not perfect, offers Israel a chance for a diminished Iranian threat. Israel
