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
Sinwar and Dahlan's Cairo face-to-face Fatah's dismissed senior official Mohammed Dahlan met June 11 in Cairo with Hamas Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar in an attempt to advance a solution for Gaza’s economic crisis. Palestine
Hamas crisis could present an opportunity for Israel According to Israeli assessment, the record-low point in which Hamas finds itself currently could either lead to a confrontation with Israel or to more moderate policies. Palestine
For many of Iraq's Yazidis, going home is not an option Although Sinjar has mostly been liberated from the Islamic State, the traumatized Yazidi community remains largely displaced and reluctant to return home to where the suffering began. Iraq
Orwell casts his shadow on Istanbul’s culture scene Orwell’s legacy is reinterpreted in Istanbul’s Pera Museum’s exhibition “Doublethink: Double vision.” Countries
Tunisia’s poor population face death by terrorists Six years into the war on terrorism in the neglected mountainous region of Tunisia and the government is still unable to do much to improve the economic situation of the poor or protect them from terrorist threats. Tunisia
Turks unite to save olive culture Citizens of a small olive-producing town played a key role in defeating a government proposal to allow industrial development among Turkey's olive groves. Near East
Congress rebukes Trump over pro-Saudi stance The US Senate came close to passing a bill prohibiting bomb sales to Riyadh for its war in Yemen amid growing concern about sectarian entanglement. Saudi Arabia
Moscow festival reflects hope for Turkey’s tourism sector Russian tourists are returning to Turkey’s relatively warm climes as relations between the countries thaw. Turkey
Iran’s supreme leader voices pessimism about new talks with US Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expresses pessimism about the possibility of talks with the United States to lift non-nuclear sanctions. Iran
Iran maneuvers to capitalize on Qatar crisis Iran has so far cautiously stood with Qatar amid the Saudi-led confrontation with Doha, but there are indications of this caution's giving way to more assertive Iranian support. Legacy: Gulf
Turkish crackdown snares Amnesty International chair The Turkish government has arrested and charged the local Amnesty International chair with membership in the so-called Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization even as the rights group monitors political repression in the country. Turkey
Erdogan tries to juggle Iran, Saudi Arabia amid Qatar crisis Retired diplomats say Erdogan’s Qatar policy is driven more by his survival instinct than a rational foreign policy and that Ankara has squandered an opportunity to play a positive role in this crisis. Saudi Arabia
