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
Why Gaza's flowers are no longer in bloom Gaza's flower exports had continued to grow since the 1990s, until it ran into the winter of the Israeli siege. Palestine
Thai court extends detention of Bahraini soccer player Dissident Bahraini soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi says he would face torture if extradited to Bahrain. Saudi Arabia
Why the Rouhani administration must eliminate energy subsidies Despite pressure from lawmakers and the general public, the Rouhani administration must proceed with fuel-subsidy reform in order to relieve itself of avoidable financial burdens. Iran
Is the GCC dead? Although Saudi Arabia has invited Qatar to attend the Gulf Cooperation Council summit Dec. 9, a resolution to the dispute between Doha and its Gulf neighbors seems far off, threatening the entire council with irrelevancy. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan expands gold business partnership with Venezuela despite sanctions Despite US sanctions against the South American country, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro are expanding their gold business. Turkey
Will China buy Turkey on the cheap? Some argue China may “swallow” Turkey through acquisitions, given China’s growing interest in the region and Turkey’s economic crisis, which has cheapened its assets and left it in dire need of external funds. But the realities on the ground speak otherwise. Turkey
US, Israeli, Palestinian leaders more hawkish than their peoples On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Palestinian leadership’s stance is more extreme than that of its public, the Israeli leadership’s stance is more extreme than that of the Israeli public and the Trump administration’s stance is far from the American public's position. Palestine
Iraqi official denies Bahaism as religion An Iraqi official's statement against the Baha'i religion raises concerns of Baha'is and other religious minorities in Iraq. Iraq
Egypt eyes bigger exports to Arab, African markets Egypt has announced the imminent launch of a free zone in Nuweiba, the first in the Sinai Peninsula, and experts believe such a project will boost economic ties with Saudi Arabia and increase Egyptian exports. Saudi Arabia
UNESCO registers Aragoz as Egypt's intangible cultural heritage Called Aragoz, Karagoz or Karagiozis, the puppet with the red cap and acid tongue has satirized politics and social life for centuries. UNESCO has registered the puppet play as Egypt’s historical heritage. Egypt
Why is Israel forging secret ties with Sudan? Hamas condemns the current normalization of ties between several Arab countries and Israel, at a time the Israeli media is talking about efforts to stop arms reaching the Gaza Strip through Libya and Sudan. United Arab Emirates
Israel won’t apologize for killing daughters of Gaza doctor Ten years after the tragedy, an Israeli court has dismissed a lawsuit by a Palestinian doctor whose three daughters and niece were killed during Operation Cast Lead. Palestine
