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
When will Israeli politicians stop hiding behind masks? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is fully aware of the diplomatic and security dangers involved in annexing the Jordan Valley, but these do not deter him from making plenty of empty promises to his voters. Israel
Netanyahu racing to victory? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s "disaster" campaign was a big failure in the last two elections, so he decided to take a different approach and relay to voters and supporters that victory is within reach. Israel
How Netanyahu is burying the two-state solution If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ever had the common sense to leave room for a future agreement with the Palestinians, he buried it recently with his decision to build new housing units in Jewish east and south Jerusalem neighborhoods. Palestine
Why Hamas opted out of Israel-Gaza escalation — again Hamas stayed out of the recent confrontation between Israel and the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, raising many questions. Palestine
PA plans to bypass Israel by issuing construction permits, rebuilding demolished homes Palestinian Minister of Local Government Majdi al-Saleh has recently announced he will be issuing permits that allow Palestinians to build houses in Area C of the West Bank, ignoring the need for Israeli approvals. Palestine
Another push to make Qalandia Airport a Jewish settlement The Netanyahu caretaker government has announced its intentions to build 11,000 housing units at the site of the former Qalandia Airport in East Jerusalem. Palestine
Pompeo calls for Idlib cease-fire The US secretary of state calls for an Idlib cease-fire as the UN and aid groups warn the exodus marks the largest humanitarian crisis in the nine-year Syrian war. Syria
A boy took on Turkey's fickle justice system; guess who won Flip-flopping from relief to despair has become a grim phenomena in Turkey, where the glimpse of freedom granted by one judicial authority can quickly be blocked by another. Originals
Qatar brings on Republican lawmakers for new GOP push Holland and Knight’s new contract says that Republicans on Capitol Hill will be the focus of the lobbying. Qatar
Intel: US leans on Turkey despite tensions The top US military commander in Europe told Congress today that Turkey remains a key ally despite the Donald Trump administration’s decision to boot the NATO partner from the F-35 program after it took delivery of the Russian S-400 air defense system last summer. Syria
Turkey-backed forces accused of cutting water to Syrian Kurdish-run region Turkish-backed Syrian rebel forces have reportedly stopped a pumping station in Ras al-Ain from providing water hundreds of thousands of people including internally displaced Syrians and Islamic State captives and their families. Syria
Fast-spreading coronavirus pushes Iran closer to lockdown Despite conflicting reports, Iran's death toll from the coronavirus epidemic is rising a few weeks ahead of the country’s New Year holidays. Iran
