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
House spending bill repudiates Morocco on Western Sahara The political wrangling over President Donald Trump’s border wall has dealt Morocco an unwelcome setback. North Africa
Rival fiefdoms emerge in scramble over Trump's Syria withdrawal Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton have offered different messages about President Donald Trump’s intentions for a Syria withdrawal. Israel
Patriarch grants Ukrainian Church independence at Istanbul mass The spiritual leader of the world’s Orthodox faithful recognized a new national church of Ukraine, marking a historic split with Moscow amid a broader geopolitical dispute. Turkey
Gulf women activists still face persecution despite hopes of reform Saudi Arabia's women still languish under the country's system of male guardianship, even as the case of Rahaf al-Qunun, who barricaded herself in a hotel room at the Bangkok airport, refusing to go back to Saudi, has brought renewed attention to the situation of women in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
Hunger strike by Kurdish inmates spreads across Turkish prisons A hunger strike by Kurdish prisoners, initiated by a female parliamentarian to protest restrictions on visits to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan, may have dramatic consequences if Ankara sticks to its indifference, lawyers and activists warn. Turkey
Iran, Russia remain skeptical about US exit from Syria, Afghanistan With the announcement of a US withdrawal from Syria, Iran and Russia can be expected to intensify their bilateral cooperation to achieve common interests rather than turn against each other. Syria
Kuwait breaks from GCC on warming up to Israel While Kuwait is joining its fellow GCC nations in terms of supporting Syria's return to the Arab League, Kuwaiti officials want nothing to do with Israel. Legacy: Gulf
Netanyahu’s Golan statement ignores new Syria reality For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu partnering with the far-right and proclaiming sovereignty over the Golan Heights is more important than aspiring to regional alliances with Muslim and Arab countries. United Arab Emirates
Imprisoned Iranian activist slams jailers, US 'concerns' An Iranian political prisoner has rejected US concerns for human rights — including his own imprisonment — noting the double standards in their application. Iran
How an Ottoman diplomat captured Levantine 'glitterati' in caricatures An exhibition in the Turkish capital highlights an Ottoman bureaucrat's caricatures of the diplomatic set in the waning days of the empire. Turkey
When will Egypt open its Grand Museum? The Grand Egyptian Museum, expected to be the world's largest archaeological museum, will have its great opening early 2020. Egypt
