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
The Ethnicity Card and Elections In Israel The ultra-Orthodox Shas Party is stirring up the ethnic issue again in the Israeli election campaign, writes Mazal Mualem. Israel
Turkey's Sectarian War With Iran Over Syria and Iraq Semih Idiz examines the evolution of the sectarian conflict between Turkey and Iran over Iraq and Syria. Syria
Syria’s Alawites Under Siege Ali Hashem reports from Damascus on Syria’s Alawite community and the sectarian conflict there. Syria
Reflections on the New Year: Outrage with a Hint of ... Hope? Clovis Maksoud calls on Arab governments to take responsibilbity for governance. Lebanon
Rooftop Gardens Uplift Poor Refugee Camps An initiative to grow rooftop gardens in overcrowded, crammed camps is providing some economic relief for Palestinian refugees, Dalia Hatuqa reports from the West Bank. Palestine
Yemeni Girls Turn to Solar Energy To Keep Power On A team of teenage girls who were “tired of darkness” invented solar-powered appliances and created a company that is selling and distributing them around the country, writes Nafeesa Syeed. Yemen
Sanctions Squeeze Revolutionary Guard Alireza Nader explains how international sanctions are squeezing Iran's Republican Guard and could lead to compromises by Iran's leadership in the nuclear talks. Iran
Sadr and Maliki Battle Over Iraqi Oil Ali Abel Sadah examines the complex relationship between Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Muqtada al-Sadr. Iraq
Trial Is Latest Round In AKP Attack on Military Tulin Daloglu writes that the current trial of former military leaders is another sign that the AKP’s democratization agenda is really about curtailing any threat from the military. Turkey
Closing Iran’s Nuclear File Seyed Hossein Mousavian, former spokesman for Iran’s nuclear negotiators, puts forward a plan for a breakthrough in the nuclear negotiations with Iran. Iran
Iraqi Pipeline to Aqaba Sparks Memories of Kirkuk-Haifa Line The oil pipeline to be constructed between Baghdad and Aqaba raises fond memories among Israelis of the Mandate-era Kirkuk-Haifa oil pipeline, a time that many would be happy to resurrect, writes Jacky Hugi. Iraq
Iraqi Parties to Seek Revenge In Provincial Elections Saleem Al-Hasani writes that the upcoming provincial elections will be seen as an opportunity for settling scores among Iraq's political parties. Iraq
