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
Iranian-Swedish scientist's execution on hold for 'next few days' Amnesty International said Ahmadreza Djalali's execution has been halted for now, but his fate is unclear. The rights group, Sweden and the UN are protesting Iran's treatment of him. Iran
Tunisian activists struggle to rein in police power Tunisians eager for justice and reform are fighting another bill to increase the powers of the country's already virtually untouchable police force. Tunisia
Egypt releases human rights workers after international outcry Gasser Abdel-Razek, Mohamed Basheer and Karim Ennarah left Tora Prison on Thursday, their organization confirmed. Egypt
OPEC and Russia agree to boost production in 2021 The agreement follows recent increases in global oil prices. The COVID-19 pandemic has hurt oil markets and, subsequently, the economies of several Middle Eastern states. Originals
Bahraini minister comments on Israeli settlements products label controversy Commerce Minister Zayed bin Rashid al-Zayani said Bahrain "has no issue with labeling or origin" of Israeli products during a visit to Israel, which angered Palestinian officials. Bahrain
Hunger crisis in Yemen should be a ‘wake up call,’ UN warns The number of Yemenis experiencing “catastrophic food insecurity” could triple by the end of June 2021. Yemen
Turkish inflation creeps higher as Central Bank pressed to act Turkey’s annual inflation hit 14.03% in November, well above forecasts, raising pressure on the nation’s new Central Bank governor to impose tight monetary policies. Turkey
Iran says no new negotiations until US reenters nuclear deal Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the United States must reenter the nuclear deal without preconditions. United States
'They always accuse us': Netanyahu responds to killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Israeli Prime Minister also doesn't deny reports that he met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Israel
UN adopts five anti-Israel resolutions Israel noted that fewer UN members voted this year in favor of the pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli resolution, which comes up for vote annually each December. Israel
Muqtada Sadr is preparing a bid to gain Iraq’s prime minister position The populist cleric appears to be gearing up for the upcoming parliamentary elections slated for June 2021 in a bid to win the premiership. Iraq
Scarred but still standing, Mosul museum reopens at last Ninevah’s renowned cultural heritage museum, known for the Islamic State's disastrous attack on its treasures, has finally reopened to the public. Iraq
