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
Why Israelis have turned against IDF, Shin Bet Contrary to the past years when Israeli society venerated the leaders of the Israel Defense Force and Shin Bet, many suspect them nowadays of having their own agendas. Israel
Turkey's cyclists bike for a cause In Turkey, bicycling is not only a means of transport and leisure but also, for one group, of social activism. Turkey
Uighur students in limbo after crackdown in Egypt Many are wondering what is behind Egyptian authorities' arrest of Chinese Uighurs studying at Al-Azhar. Egypt
Trump says al-Qaeda received US weapons intended for Syrian rebels In a July 25 interview made public Tuesday, the president said he canceled a CIA program to train and equip moderate Syrian rebels after weapons ended up in the hands of Al-Qaeda. Syria
Rouhani under fire over likely new Cabinet appointments In Iran, President Hassan Rouhani comes under fire from Reformists who demand more seats in his second-term Cabinet. Meanwhile, reports indicate that his campaign pledge to appoint female ministers will not be realized. Iran
Turkey in uproar over McGurk The Turkish media's outlandish attacks on US envoy Brett McGurk hint at the anxiety in Ankara over US relations with Syrian Kurds. Syria
Germany's patience with Erdogan may be running out The latest moves by the German government against Turkey suggest Germany's patience with President Erdogan may have run its course. Turkey
Iran outflanking Saudi Arabia in Yemen Saudi Arabia's war on Yemen has allowed Iran more influence than ever in the region. Saudi Arabia
Trump’s options on the nuclear deal with Iran Before settling on an Iran policy, President Trump must take a holistic view of the US footprint in the region and move forward based on pragmatism. Russia
Egyptian band beats censorship via YouTube The band Cairokee has used YouTube as a platform to publish its new album after a state censor banned it, prompting critics to ask whether such censorship has any point in the age of the internet. Egypt
Clouds gather over Turkish-German economic ties Exasperated over Turkey’s disregard for the rule of law and its arrest of German nationals, Berlin has raised the specter of economic sanctions against Turkey. Turkey
Syrian regime says it's time for the displaced to return Hundreds of people displaced from al-Waer neighborhood in Homs, Syria, have now left the Zoghra camp outside of Aleppo and returned to the regime-controlled Homs. Syria
