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
Is Israel on its way to fourth election? Voting for the disbandment of the Knesset, Defense Minister Benny Gantz and his Blue and White party put themselves on a collision course with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel
Israelis, Emiratis connect over cinema, concern for nature While trade is a pillar of the nascent ties between Israel and the Emirates, civil groups on both sides are finding plenty of common goals and joint projects to pursue. United Arab Emirates
Women in Gaza take up boxing despite social stigma Despite the patriarchal and religious stigma surrounding female sporting activities in the Gaza Strip, several women and girls have joined a boxing team out of love for this sport. Palestine
Gaza caught between full lockdown or collapse of health sector amid COVID-19 surge A health catastrophe looms on the horizon of the Gaza Strip amid the already fragile health-care sector, while the government hesitates to impose a full lockdown due to the deteriorating economic situation. Palestine
The Takeaway: Is Israel ready to welcome the Squad? Israeli minister says it is time to ramp up outreach to Democrats; Amberin Zaman gets the scoop on Turkey-Israel channel; Biden administration needs to lay out Saudi policy early; four Mideast takeaways from Obama’s book. Israel
Israel receives advanced warship amid heightened tensions with Iran The Saar 6 can fire missiles, launch helicopters and deploy Israel's Iron Dome technology. Its arrival comes following the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist, allegedly by Israel. Israel
Biden reaffirms pledge to revive Iranian nuclear deal In an interview with The New York Times, Biden said rejoining the landmark agreement is the best way to avoid a nuclear buildup in the region. United States
Israel transfers over $1 billion in tax revenues to Palestinians The Palestinian Authority suspended the transfers in May, worsening the cash-strapped government's financial woes. Israel
Iran identifies perpetrators as it probes scientist’s killing The Iranian government said it has identified those linked to the assassination of one of its top nuclear scientists and will retaliate after the investigation is concluded. Iran
Iranian president rejects bill calling for breaches of nuclear agreement Hassan Rouhani said the bill would harm Iran's diplomatic efforts. Parliamentarians put forward the initiative following the killing of an Iranian nuclear scientist. Iran
North Cyprus leader pushes for two-state solution, agrees to informal summit North Cyprus President Ersin Tatar reiterated support for a two-state solution as the island’s two leaders agreed to participate in an informal summit during talks with UN envoy Jane Holl Lute Tuesday. Turkey
Egypt carried out ‘execution spree’ in past two months, Amnesty International says The rights group confirmed 57 executions in October and November alone, nearly double the number of prisoners killed in all of 2019. Egypt
