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
Iranian women get a foothold in volleyball games The ban on Iranian women allowed into stadiums to watch men play volleyball is slowly reversed. Iran
Netanyahu must choose between ultra-Orthodox and US Jews Jewish leaders from the United States and France made it clear to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: You must choose between a coalition alliance with the ultra-Orthodox or the strategic alliance of Israel with world Jewry. Israel
The reason Erdogan champions press freedom abroad Defending Al Jazeera’s right to report becomes a double-edged sword for Erdogan, who suffocates free media in Turkey and struggles to remain friends with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Iran cracks down on Salafists in wake of Tehran attacks Iranian authorities have rounded up a large number of terror suspects in Kurdish areas following the June 7 attacks in Tehran. Iran
Turkey’s main opposition changes focus from 'secularism' to 'justice' Kemal Kilicdaroglu’s impressive march from Ankara to Istanbul shows one thing: The CHP is no longer the “state party” that it was throughout the 20th century. Turkey
Ankara's offer to Moscow: Give us Afrin for Idlib As the situation in northern Syria heats up, the future of Idlib and Afrin depend on strategic bargaining between Ankara and Moscow. Syria
New political alliance unites Iraqi religious and secular parties In a sudden development, the Sadrist movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr and the National Coalition led by Ayad Allawi announced the formation of a political alliance in the upcoming elections. Iraq
As Mosul battle nears end, Iraqi Christians wary of return Despite the liberation of the Ninevah Plains, very few Iraqi Christians have returned to their historical homeland, while the majority of them refuse to return due to security concerns. Iraq
Israeli legal brass hound Olmert as ex-PM's release approaches Despite the efforts of Israel's state attorney to prevent his early release, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will walk out of prison on July 2, memoir in hand. Israel
Israel 'playing with fire' on Hamas prisoner issue Israel hopes that by canceling family visits of Hamas prisoners, the organization will be pressured into advancing a prisoner exchange deal. Palestine
Netanyahu dictates agenda in meeting with US envoys Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the one dictating the agenda in his meetings with US envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. Palestine
Egypt strikes two revolutions from history textbooks Egypt's Ministry of Education is omitting the January 25 and June 30 revolutions from school history textbooks after a question in the official exams stirred controversy. Egypt
