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
Iran struck by first Islamic State attacks The Iranian capital was rocked today by two terrorist attacks claimed by the Islamic State. Iran
Egyptian ad sparks ethics debate on charitable donations An Egyptian foundation ended up taking its Ramadan commercial off the air when it was accused of insulting the poor, then undermining government policy. Egypt
As Trump stumbles, Turkish economy comes back from brink of crisis US President Donald Trump's underperformance on his pledges has led global funds to return to emerging economies, which helped Turkey to escape an economic crisis, though not without a growing baggage of problems. Turkey
Islamic State families fear persecution in Iraq Al-Monitor visited families of Islamic State members being held in isolation in the Shahama camp, near Tikrit. They and aid workers fear what will happen to them if they are unable to rejoin communities outside the camp. Iraq
Ramadan controversy over public eating resurfaces in Jordan Arrests in Jordan for eating in public during the Ramadan fast have sparked debate over the country's constitution and legality to carry out the crackdown. Jordan
Saudi-Qatar rift could benefit Israel Israeli officials estimate that the Saudi-Qatar rift could strengthen the Israeli-Saudi alliance against regional Islamic terror. Saudi Arabia
New chapter begins in Israel-Palestine water dispute After a suspension of seven years, the Israeli-Palestinian Joint Water Committee is reconvening, but will Palestine finally get a fair share of water? Palestine
US urges dialogue to ease Qatar crisis Diplomats hope mediation will cool diplomatic crisis between Qatar and its Gulf rivals. Saudi Arabia
Iran faced with return of double-digit inflation Although the Rouhani administration has made great strides in terms of stabilizing the Iranian economy, it could soon be witnessing the return of double-digit inflation. Iran
Iranians debate whether to take advantage of Qatar crisis The crisis surrounding Qatar has caught the attention of Iranian media, with debate emerging about whether to take advantage of Doha’s isolation from its Arab neighbors. Saudi Arabia
Kurdish-backed militia launches Raqqa operation as another declares war on Turkey Coming just days after the Pentagon began distributing weapons to the YPG, Turkey could easily construe threats of escalation by the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons as proof that US support for the Syrian Kurds emboldens the Kurdistan Workers Party. Syria
German troops poised to leave Turkey for Jordan President Recep Tayyip Erdogan might have miscalculated the patience of Western leaders who adopted an “appeasement” policy regarding Turkey. Turkey
