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 finally acknowledges soldier executed by IS Almost a year after a burning execution video hit social media, Turkish officials have recognized that one of the victims was a Turkish soldier, but the government remains mum. Turkey
Iraqi Christian politicians denounce church's intervention in politics Statements from the Christian clergy and political blocs in Iraq show a conflict between the church and Christian political parties on controlling the Christian political discourse. Iraq
Egyptian kids learn empathy through virtual travel A Cairo-based intercultural community space picks up from where the local education gap has left by teaching children empathy and multiculturalism. Egypt
Is Egypt ready to end underage marriage? Egypt is seeking to curtail customary marriages of girls under the age of 18 after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for measures to combat this phenomenon amid opposition by some religious scholars. Egypt
Palestinians gauge economic impact of reconciliation Now that Hamas and Fatah have agreed to reconcile, the Palestinian government faces the problem of paying the salaries of tens of thousands of employees from the Gaza Strip as it tries to revive the deteriorating economic situation. Palestine
Meet the generation of Palestinian division Palestinian youth hope reconciliation will compensate for the dreams they lost as a result of the 10-year-long internal division. Palestine
Where is Israel's left heading? Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On and Labor chief Avi Gabbay are well-aware that the left camp is shrinking and are each taking actions in an attempt to change this. Israel
October brings Italy highest flows of migrants from Libya Weeks after the human smuggling hub of Sabratha erupted in battle between warring militias as a direct result of Italy’s interference in Libyan domestic affairs, analysts say Italy’s interference in northwestern Libya may have further destabilizing effects on the country. Libya
Egypt key to Palestinian reconciliation The future of Palestinian reconciliation depends more on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi than it does on Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas or Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh. Palestine
Following Islamic State ouster, tribes key to stability in eastern Syria After the ouster of the Islamic State from the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, several issues are expected to complicate efforts to stabilize the region. Syria
Will new regulations help Palestinian-Syrians in Lebanon? New regulations could put an end to legal challenges faced by Palestinian-Syrian refugees who have, in some cases, gone to extreme lengths just to get hold of even the most fundamental legal documents. Lebanon
Senate challenges House on Western Sahara dispute Senate appropriators want to tighten restrictions on US aid to Morocco-occupied Western Sahara one year after the House first made assistance available. Algeria
