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
PA claims UAE health project in Gaza politically motivated A health care megaproject in the Gaza Strip funded by the UAE and implemented through the humanitarian Takaful organization has angered the Palestinian Authority for circumventing it. Palestine
South Africa takes Palestinian side, supports BDS A Hamas parliamentary delegation has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the African National Congress during a visit to South Africa — an achievement as far as relations between the two parties are concerned. Palestine
Egypt takes on massive development — and debt While many economists are praising Egypt's major development projects in the fields of energy, agriculture and transportation, others are warning against the unprecedented debt the country faces due to such projects. Egypt
Regeni case still complicating ties between Rome, Cairo Almost three years on, Egypt has yet to reach tangible results in the murder case of Italian researcher Giulio Regeni, but now Italy’s public prosecutor has named five Egyptian national security officers as suspects. Egypt
Closing Hezbollah tunnels only first step in Israel's northern operation Israel's Operation Northern Shield will not only neutralize Hezbollah's attack tunnels, but also allow the completion of a massive construction project to defend the border. Palestine
Jordanian activists left disappointed by PM Razzaz When Jordan’s Omar Razzaz was appointed prime minister this summer, many in civil society were pleased given his longtime support for liberal causes and free speech including serving on the board of a human rights organization; however, during his time in power, Jordanian activists have faced many of the same challenges. Jordan
Is Hebrew U dropping Hebrew for English? Some Israeli researchers and politicians are critical of a decision by the Hebrew University to teach more classes in English, but administrators believe such a switch is necessary to maintain the institutions status. Israel
Congress seeks to formally condemn Saudi prince for journalist’s death Republican leaders in Congress are securing support to formally condemn Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia
Can Russia, China cooperate on the Middle East? Russia and China seek to reinforce cooperation over the Middle East, but each approaches the region with its own rationale. Syria
Police chief's murder stuns Turkey A distinguished police chief from Rize was gunned down by a disgruntled officer, while Turkish media focused today on the possibility that the country's two main opposition parties may get behind a unified candidate for Ankara's mayoral elections in March. Turkey
