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
Defense budget to provide broader Iraq security support A Senate version of the National Defense Authorization Act, set to be released next week, will provide greater leeway for support for Iraqi homeland security. Iraq
One year on, Turkey's coup attempt has impacted economy Turkey's state of emergency since last year's coup attempt has been instrumental in averting a serious economic crisis, while also marking a process of "wealth transfer" through the seizure of hundreds of private companies. Turkey
Fans mourn death of Turkey’s somber cartoonist Galip Tekin, who was found dead in his apartment in Istanbul July 6, was well-known for his fantasy and science fiction comics and dystopian comic novels that portrayed everyday events and characters in Turkey. Turkey
US drops Iraq from list of countries that recruit children for war Iraq has been dropped from the US list of countries accused of recruiting children for war, which is an achievement for Iraq on the road to keeping its society away from violence. Iraq
Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq at risk of fragmentation A number of prominent leaders of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq withdrew from the council that has put the political future of the party at risk. Iraq
Netanyahu maneuvers to please Trump and settlers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes that the announcement of new housing units in Jerusalem Jewish neighborhoods beyond the Green Line won’t trigger President Donald Trump’s anger. Palestine
Mosul liberation will not be end of IS History has proven that militarily defeating extremist groups such as al-Qaeda does not mean the end of their ideology, and it seems the Islamic State will not stop at the Mosul liberation. Iraq
How Gazans are dealing with internet crisis The electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip is causing internet providers to cut off service, and Gazans fear a chronic internet crisis is coming. Palestine
Tillerson: US could boost cooperation with Russia on Syria The potential for deeper US-Russian cooperation in Syria will be a key topic of discussion when US President Donald Trump meets Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday. Syria
EU parliament votes to halt accession talks with Turkey The European legislature’s decision to break off Turkey's membership negotiations has no legal bearing, but it does indicate where a line might be drawn in Europe. Turkey
Planning minister: Iraq needs $100 billion for post-IS reconstruction Iraqi Minister of Planning Salman al-Jumaili spoke with Al-Monitor about rebuilding the liberated areas and the economic and social challenges the country faces. Iraq
Israeli Labor candidates missing their mark in primaries Instead of focusing on the ability of Labor leadership candidates Amir Peretz and Avi Gabai to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next elections, the media focus on their Mizrahi origins. Israel
