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
Iran deal recasts regional politics The consequences of the agreement are already extending beyond Iran’s nuclear program. Israel
Surveys get personal in Turkey For the first time in Turkish history, state institutions are conducting surveys on religion, further dividing citizens. Turkey
Will Erdogan visit genocide memorial in 2015? Turkey’s official position is not likely to change on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Turkey
Turkey's foreign policy reset will not be easy Turkey’s allies still have misgivings about the recent past and direction of Turkish foreign policy. Turkey
Erdogan's blacklist The battle between Erdogan's party and Gulenist elites shows that cooperation with the Gulen Movement is no longer worth it to the AKP. Turkey
An Israeli-Saudi axis? Not likely Saudi Arabia has long been willing to work behind the scenes with Israel against common foes, but the kingdom is uninterested in anything more than the occasional clandestine connection. Saudi Arabia
Israel's Foreign Ministry continues to lose relevance When Foreign Affairs Minister Avigdor Liberman sees diplomacy as a sign of weakness, it's no wonder that his ministry is losing relevance. Israel
Prominent Egyptian activist arrested for defying new protest law Alaa Abd El Fattah is the latest activist to be arrested in a week of crackdowns that have energized protesters on polar ends of the political spectrum. Egypt
Beirut blast a lesson in terrorism The perpetrators of the Iranian Embassy bombing in Beirut carefully crafted the attack to cause maximum physical and psychological damage. Lebanon
ISIS exploits weak Iraqi, Syrian states Historically targeting non-central parts of the countries in which it operates, al-Qaeda, in the form of ISIS, is taking advantage of prevailing instability in Syria and Iraq to deepen its roots. Iraq
Palestinians fight Israeli attempts to claim Bethlehem Palestine is resisting Israeli attempts to appropriate Bethlehem as the peak Christmas tourism season approaches. Palestine
Iran’s diplomatic surge extends to Gulf Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is considering an invitation from Bahrain to attend the IISS Manama Dialogue Regional Security Summit, as UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan visits Tehran. Saudi Arabia
