With the ongoing conflicts in Syria, Libya and Yemen, political turmoil and terror attacks in other parts, it seemed like the year couldn’t get worse.
Then US President Donald Trump decided to upend historic rights, declaring his intention to change Jerusalem’s status.
In his move to declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel, he not only usurps Palestinian rights but also disregards international law.
Here at The National , we have covered all of these developments, and yet we have also challenged ourselves to look for reasons to remain hopeful for this region. In addition to the strength of human capital and natural resources, there were specific developments this year that give us reason to be cautiously optimistic.
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Read more:
Lebanon year in review: Is the country a failed state?
The economy in review: UAE weathers challenges
Iraq year in review: the country may be free of ISIL but lies in ruins
Pictures: The world in 2017
A man cries as he carries his daughter while walking from an ISIL-held part of Mosul towards Iraqi special forces soldiers during the battle to retake the city. Goran Tomasevic / Reuters / March 4, 2017
A Syrian infant suffering from severe malnutrition is seen at a clinic in Hamouria, Ghouta region on the outskirts of the capital Damascus. Amer Almohibany / AFP Photo / October 21, 2017
Palestinians run for cover as smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on a Hamas post, in the northern Gaza Strip. Mohammed Abed / AFP Photo / February 6, 2017
Italy's Linda Cerruti and Costanza Ferro perform in the Women's Duet final during the synchronised swimming competition at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapes. François-Xavier Marit / AFP Photo / July 16, 2017
Comedian Simon Brodkin, right, givesBritain's Prime Minister Theresa May her P45 (UK's employee leaving form) during the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester. Paul Ellis / AFP Photo / October 4, 2017
A Syrian man carries a wounded child following reported government airstrikes on the rebel-held town of Douma. Sameer Al Doumy / AFP Photo / February 25, 2017
A Libyan coast guardsman watches over the rescue of 147 illegal immigrants attempting to reach Europe off the coastal town of Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the capital Tripoli. Taha Jawashi / AFP Photo / June 27, 2017
Indonesian school children play outside as mount Sinabung volcano spews thick volcanic ash as seen from Karo, North Sumatra province. AFP Photo / February 10, 2017.
Indonesian men take part in a rehearsal of a mass traditional Saman dance - known as the "dance of a thousand hands". Chaideer Mahyuddin / AFP Photo / August 12, 2017
Britain's Anthony Joshua, right, throws a punch at Ukraine's Wladimir Klitschko during the fourth round of their IBF, IBO and WBA, world Heavyweight title fight at Wembley Stadium in London. Ben Stansall / AFP Photo / April 29, 2017
Beachgoers watch a forest fire from afar in La Croix-Valmer, near Saint-Tropez, France. Valery Hache / AFP Photo / July 25, 2017
French CRS anti-riot police officers are engulfed in flames during May Day clashes in Paris. Zakaria Abdelkafi / AFP Photo / May 1, 2017
Repsol Honda Team's Spanish rider Marc Marquez celebrates winning the Valencia MotoGP. Jose Jordan / AFP Photo / November 12, 2017
A Korean People's Army propaganda poster at a museum in Sinchon, south of Pyongyang. Ed Jones / AFP Photo / July 29, 2017
Revellers release lanterns into the air in celebration of the Yee Peng festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Roberto Schmidt / AFP Photo / November 3, 2017
A demonstrator catches fire during clashes with riot police during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas. Ronaldo Schemidt / AFP Photo / May 3, 2017
The car of Ferrari's Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen, right seen after a crash as Ferrari's German driver Sebastian Vettel leads during the start of the Singapore Grand Prix. Manan Vatsyayana / AFP Photo / September 17, 2017
A man believed to be Carles Puigdemont gestures inside the public prosecutor's office in Brussels. Catalonia's sacked separatist leader Carles Puigdemont and four of his former ministers turned themselves in to Belgian police after Spain issued a warrant for their arrest.
Nicolas Maeterlinck / AFP Photo / November 5, 2017
An air tanker drops fire retardant on flames during wildfires in California. Josh Edelson / AFP Photo / July 19, 2017
Spanish Nationalists during a demonstration against independence in Catalonia in Barcelona. Pau Barrena / AFP Photo / September 30, 2017
Police control a security cordon as a huge fire engulfs the Grenfell Tower in west London. Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP Photo / June 14, 2017
Iraqi children sit amid the rubble in Mosul's Nablus neighbourhood. Arisa Messinis / AFP Photo / MArch 12, 2017
US president Donald Trump boards the elevator after escorting Martin Luther King III to the lobby after meetings at Trump Tower. Dominick Reuter / AFP Photo / January 16, 2017
Bodies of Rohingya Muslim refugees lay on the shore of Inani beach, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Fred Dufour / AFP Photo / March 12, 2017
Flooding in Houston from tropical storm Harvey. Thomas B Shea / AFP Photo / August 27, 2017
An Iraqi woman walks by the destroyed Al-Nuri Mosque as she flees from the Old City of Mosul. Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP Photo / July 5, 2017
China's Qi Guangpu of China performs an aerial during training for the Snowboarding and Freestyle Skiing World Championships in Sierra Nevada, Spain. Paul Hanna / Reuters / March 9, 2017
A Nazi walks with a bloody lip as demonstrators yell at him on the campus of the University of Florida in Gainesville. Shannon Stapleton / Reuters / October 19, 2017
Updated: December 26, 2017, 12:24 PM