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
Iranians question tradition on sex, virginity and marriage While more traditional families still insist that a woman must be a virgin before marriage, some men are questioning the custom. Iran
Syrian mothers in refugee camp brace for winter More than 200 Syrian babies are born in Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan every month, and with winter on its way and a shortage of baby food, families are worried. Jordan
The Gul Alternative Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s harsh manner may lead his party to consider President Abdullah Gul to run for re-election rather than back Erdogan for president in 2014. Turkey
Iran and the two Genevas There is widespread understanding that a nuclear deal on Iran will facilitate progress on Syria. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu faces possible lose-lose on Iran, peace process Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be right in his vigilance on Iran, but if US-Israel relations suffer, he could find himself with a nuclear Iran and a Palestinian state. Israel
Tamarod protest fails in Gaza After months of hype, Nov. 11 passed without a hitch in Gaza as Tamarod was a no-show. Palestine
Crisis of democracy for Islamic parties While Islamic parties in the Middle East have been keen to use democracy as a way to reach power and maintain their authority, they do not apply democratic principles when it comes to other aspects of governance. Turkey
Jordan faces no-nukes campaign Jordan's October announcement that it would build two nuclear reactors has ignited a local anti-nuke campaign. Jordan
Russian Orthodox Church returns to Mideast Russia's Orthodox Christian heritage in now front and center in Moscow's Middle East policies. Culture & Society
Palestinians Sideline EU on peace process Despite EU aid, the Palestinian government is not insisting on a more prominent European role in the peace process. Palestine
Syrian civil society pushes for role at Geneva II Any peace process on Syria should not remain the exclusive domain of armed belligerents responsible for destroying the country, argue Syrian civil society activists. Syria
Russia's Iran policy in transition Russia is likely to benefit from an agreement between the P5+1 and Iran. Syria
