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
Sectarian forces fight for influence in Iraq's Diyala province After being liberated from the Islamic State, the Diyala province is suffering from increased ethnic, sectarian and political conflicts that could turn into armed clashes at any moment. Iraq
Who wins in war over ultra-Orthodox army draft? Experts claim that the key to the ultra-Orthodox army draft is not canceling the current law, but creating a constructive dialogue with the ultra-Orthodox leadership. Israel
Netanyahu’s five sins With the Jewish year coming to an end, it is clear that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is guilty of five sins: ignoring hope for peace, whitewashing injustices, inciting hatred, discriminating against the poor and indifference to the weak. Palestine
Can Egypt’s Al-Azhar fight extremism through 'e-fatwas'? Al-Azhar Fatwa Global Center launched a new website to answer questions about fatwas in a bid to fight extremist thought, which analysts believe is a far-fetched goal. Egypt
Divided Syrian opposition tries for unified army again As the Syrian opposition faces major setbacks on the battlefield, the Syrian Interim Government and FSA factions have been discussing the formation of a unified national army in hopes of changing the tide. Syria
US waives Iran sanctions, but says no final decision made on nuclear deal The United States waived nuclear-related Iran sanctions, but President Donald Trump has not yet made a decision on the nuclear deal or Iran policy more broadly. United States
US faces WWII-scale explosives cleanup in Iraq after Islamic State fight Cleaning up the booby traps that IS fighters have left all over the country will take many years and millions of dollars. Iraq
Turkey’s spectacular growth has darker side Turkey may have achieved an impressive 5.1% economic growth in the first half of the year, but the risks are still there with myriad problems accumulating on the other side of the coin. Business
Iran, US align against Iraqi Kurdistan referendum Iran and the United States jointly but separately are putting the screws on Massoud Barzani to halt his drive for Iraqi Kurdistan to hold its upcoming independence referendum. Iraqi-Kurdistan
Ankara hardens opposition to KRG referendum As the Sept. 25 referendum approaches, Ankara seems to be toughening its stance against Iraqi Kurdistan's independence move, while a mob attacked the funeral procession for the mother of a Kurdish politician. Turkey
Prospect of Kurdish independence raises talk of war Friction is growing between Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government as the latter's independence vote approaches. Iraq
Ahead of UN meeting, Abbas prepares united Arab position Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is conducting consultations with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia in order to present US President Donald Trump with a united Arab position for the two-state solution. Palestine
