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
Turkey’s Military Uneasy Over Peace With PKK The Turkish military still has its questions about the Turkish-PKK peace process. Turkey
Lebanese Elections Will Not Happen in September While the debate continues over the so-called Orthodox Gathering law, along with other governmental roadblocks, it is unclear when parliamentary elections will be held in Lebanon. Lebanon
Al-Qaeda Finds Foothold In Tunisian Poverty A report from Kasserine, an unlikely incubator for Islamic extremism. Originals
Competition Heats Up Between Qom, Najaf The long-standing competition for influence between Shiites' two holiest cities is growing. Iraq
Obama and Erdogan Edge Closer On Syria In meeting with US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to have committed Turkey to the Geneva process that foresees a diplomatic solution to the Syrian crisis. Syria
Who’s Afraid of Turkey’s Opposition? The genuine fear in Turkey is that the Republican Peoples’ Party (CHP) now stands as an impediment to formation of a credible alternative on the left. Turkey
Israel Continues to Detain Gazans At Border Crossing The Israeli authorities continue to detain and interrogate Gazans traveling into Israel via the Erez crossing, including those who are ill and seeking medical treatment. Palestine
Obama and ErdoganSmile for the Camera US President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan appeared to come closer on Syria, but challenges remain. Syria
Will Israel Take Out The Russian Missiles in Syria? Israel considers its options if Russia goes ahead with its plan to sell S-300 missiles to Syria. Israel
Does Lebanon’s Political System Need an Update? As Lebanon’s governmental crisis moves forward, traditional alliances may be shifting as inefficiencies in the old confessional system come to the surface. Lebanon
Why Did Iran's Foreign Minister Visit Jordan? Did Jordan's King Abdullah II charge Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi with sending a "friendly message" to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Jordan
Saudi-Qatar Honeymoon In Lebanon Is Over Seemingly eager to turn the regional unrest to their advantage, both Qatar and Saudi Arabia are carefully strategizing their diplomatic efforts in the Mideast. Saudi Arabia
