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
Palestine seeks UN support to reclaim its deadly viper from Israel Palestine, irked by Israel's declaration to adopt the Palestine viper as its national snake, takes the issue to the United Nations, accusing the Jewish state of "seizing symbols of Palestinian biodiversity." Palestine
Putin, Netanyahu struggle to mend ties in Paris Despite the brief meeting on the margins of the Paris Peace Forum, Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu seem to have failed to fully mend bilateral ties damaged over the downed Russian spy plane. Israel
Sanctions push Rouhani to boost state involvement in Iran’s economy The impact of the re-imposed US sanctions has forced the Rouhani administration to shift its market-oriented approach to the economy to focus on active involvement by the state. Iran
Unlike officials, Iranian aid worker praised for reviving quake-hit area On the first anniversary of a deadly quake in western Iran, officials are still under fire for abandoning survivors. Meanwhile, a female charity worker's performance is raising eyebrows. Iran
'Atrocious' recording of Khashoggi’s killing shocks listeners Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he's gotten shocked reactions to an audio tape of the Saudi journalist’s final moments as he presses world leaders to hold the kingdom accountable for its alleged role in the killing. Saudi Arabia
PA, Russia step up economic ties As part of efforts to boost cooperation, the Palestinian Authority and Russia signed understandings on energy, customs and labor exchanges at the third meeting of the Russian-Palestinian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. Palestine
Iran-backed PMU militias in Iraq raising profile Danish elite forces left the Iraqi-Syrian border area in late October against a backdrop of tension between Denmark and Iran. Iraq
Crossing between opposing forces opens near Idlib, Syria Despite sporadic fighting, a crossing between forces of the Syrian regime and its opposition has reopened in Morek. Syria
Israeli right fears new Congress For the next two years, Israeli settlers and their right-wing supporters will no longer enjoy unlimited access to the House of Representatives. Palestine
No deal with Hamas will pay off for Israel Israel's military leadership continues to support efforts to reach an arrangement with Hamas despite knowing that any cease-fire will enable the group to increase its military capabilities. Palestine
Twitter is Coming: Iranians strike back at Trump with memes Following US President Donald Trump’s tweet that used a "Game of Thrones" meme to warn Iran about new sanctions, keyboard-happy Iranians quickly striked back at both Trump and their own officials. United States
