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
Turks bicker about time change Turkey's government has decided to remain on summer time permanently, adding another hour of difference between Turkey and Europe, but putting Turkey in the same time zone as Mecca and Medina. Turkey
Turkey’s emergency rule stokes Kurdish separatism Purges at municipalities and schools in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast, carried out as part of an emergency rule that was supposed to target the putschists behind the July 15 coup attempt, will make the Kurdish problem even more intractable. Turkey
Why Turkey’s secular opposition now references Prophet Muhammad The fact that the CHP now defends human rights with references to “our beloved prophet” is a remarkable new reality in Turkish politics. Turkey
Saudi Arabia launches Persian-language hajj TV program for Iranians The Muslim festival to mark Eid al-Adha has done little to reduce tensions between regional rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Water pressure plummets in Tehran After years of warnings about an impending water crisis, Tehranis are experiencing dramatic drops in water pressure and now face the likely prospect of water rationing. Iran
Is Netanyahu trying to kill Russian summit initiative? Palestinian sources believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's release of his ''ethnic cleansing'' video is part of an attempt to sabotage a Russian-backed summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Palestine
Why referendum on West Bank is unlikely to change anything Instead of going to the streets, the Israeli peace camp prefers an online campaign that is unlikely to change anything within Israeli public opinion. Palestine
Hamas accuses Abbas of blocking local elections to protect Fatah The Palestinian High Court of Justice has suspended the local elections slated for Oct. 8, citing concern that Jerusalem was left out of the electoral process and that Fatah lists were being disqualified by Hamas-run courts in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Shaky cease-fire starts in Syria The United States and Russia brokered a cease-fire, now in effect in Syria, which they hope will lead to an ease in the suffering of Syrians and spark "negotiated peace" discussions. Syria
Syrian cease-fire reflects US, Russian interests It’s a long shot and certainly not altruistic, but the effort by Russia and the United States to develop a viable plan for Syria might just work in everyone’s favor. Syria
Twitter poll spells rejection for second Sisi term Pro-regime TV host Ahmed Moussa is busy defending Egypt's president as his popularity declines, but so far, Moussa's social media efforts have backfired as respondents overwhelmingly express disapproval. Egypt
Kurds become new target of Ankara’s post-coup purges Ankara’s draconian crackdown on the Gulen community is now moving into a new direction, targeting Kurds accused of collaborating with armed Kurdish militants. Turkey
