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
PMU whittles membership as Iraqi government absorbs militia Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units are forcing factions out and closing their operations as part of the integration process into Iraq's official security forces. Iraq
Pompeo’s remarks ignite vote of no confidence in AUC president The American University in Cairo hosted Jan. 10 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which ignited an internal crisis between its president, the senate and Board of Trustees, particularly since the faculty have been voicing complaints about the president’s measures and decisions. Egypt
How an Australia extradition case threatens Netanyahu The alleged involvement of Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman in attempts to prevent the extradition to Australia of an ultra-Orthodox woman suspected of serious sexual crimes, threatens the political clout of Benjamin Netanyahu's ultra-Orthodox coalition partners. Israel
Two-state solution loses champion as Livni drops from race The withdrawal of Hatnua head Tzipi Livni from the Israeli elections indicates that Israel is further than ever from the two-state solution she fought for. Palestine
Cairo exhibit takes nostalgic look at arts, culture during monarchy Paintings and other objects d’art currently on display in “Features of An Era," an exhibition at the Aisha Fahmy Palace in Cairo, originally decorated royal villas, which were nationalized in the 20th century after the monarchy's overthrow. Egypt
Desperate Gaza parents abandon children at Israel border Palestinian youths are infiltrating Israel, hoping to get caught and sent to prison, while Palestinian parents facing economic crises are abandoning their sick infants at the Erez border crossing, while attempting to search work in Israel. Palestine
Netanyahu pretends occupation does not exist Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his associates believe that ignoring the occupation would make it nonexistent. Palestine
Israel’s cannabis revolution Israel has authorized the sale of medical cannibas in pharmacies and is experimenting with fines and community service in lieu of jail time for recreational users. Israel
Zarif’s defense of Iran's missile program draws praise on social media Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made a splash on social media with his defense of his country’s missile program and other policies at the Munich Security Conference. Iran
Jordanians see Israel as only winner at Warsaw summit While Jordan doesn't want to align itself too closely with Washington's anti-Iran coalition, the kingdom's reliance on Washington for aid was likely behind its attendance at the Poland summit. Palestine
Qatar pledges to keep money pipeline open to Gaza Strip Qatar seems adamant about continuing its financial support to the Gaza Strip, disregarding the Palestinian Authority’s resentment. Qatar
Egypt’s Pan-African road marks millennial milestone for development Egypt announced the completion of its segment of the Alexandria-Cape Town Road, which it is hoped will boost economies, trade and tourism the length of the African continent. Egypt
