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
US-Palestinian man gets life sentence for selling home to Jews A Ramallah court has sentenced a Palestinian-American to life in prison for selling East Jerusalem property to Jewish Israelis in what could be a sign that the Palestinians are considering ending security coordination with Israel. Palestine
Iran pushes Iraq to maintain trade without US dollar Iran is pushing for an agreement with the Iraqi Central Bank to maintain trade in local currencies after dollar-base trade halted following the reimposition of US sanctions. Iraq
Palestinian oud trio combines poetry with music Le Trio Joubran puts Palestine's oldest instrument, the oud, and the words of Mahmoud Darwish at the heart of its works. Palestine
Ankara seeking Russian permission for use of Syrian airspace Ankara’s primary lesson learned from its two operations in northern Syria is not to enter Syria without air superiority. Syria
Is Egypt's judiciary going soft on NGOs? The acquittal verdict of 43 nongovernmental organization workers and the launch of community dialogues on amending a law curbing NGOs pave the way for a new chapter between the regime and NGOs in Egypt. Egypt
The Israeli ultra-Orthodox paradox: earning little, feeling rich The ultra-Orthodox population in Israel is considered poor by economic measurements, but its members do not feel poor in part due to their consumption habits and solidarity networks. Israel
Hamas-Fatah bitter split plays out in West Bank universities Tempers flare as the Palestinian Authority pursues Hamas-affiliated university students on campuses. Palestine
Gaza’s public servants outraged at Hamas’ recent spending Recent documents were leaked to the media showing that Hamas spent more than $550,000 for the celebrations of its anniversary, which raised the ire of Gaza government employees who have not received their full salaries since 2013. Palestine
"We’re here, we exist": Sidon’s poets break new ground Musicians and poets are challenging social norms in Sidon, Lebanon’s conservative third-largest city. Lebanon
Putin’s next act: Syrian-Turkish rapprochement The Russian president still needs the United States to keep the pace, and the peace, in Syria. United Arab Emirates
Iraq's grand Sunni mufti forbids participation in New Year's celebrations Clerics who issued fatwas against participation in New Year's celebrations come up against a wave of criticism. Iraq
Russia, Turkey content with talks on Syria but fate of YPG still unclear Russian and Turkish officials meet in Moscow following President Trump's decision to withdraw US forces from Syria, but make no public mention of what will happen in Manbij. Syria
