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 some are calling for stripping this Egyptian Nobel laureate of citizenship Having cracked down heavily on dissent, Egypt’s ruling authorities are angered by the former vice president’s interview on a Qatari TV channel that is perceived by the Egyptian government as being hostile toward Egypt. Egypt
Ankara riled by US push for Kurdish seat at Syria talks US statements that Syrian Kurds should be included in talks on Syria's future have further agitated Turkish leaders, who are already upset about Washington's coalition with the People's Protection Units. Syria
Is Turkey wiping out Kurdish institutions during lengthy state of emergency? Turkey is continuing is massive purge of suspects — many of them Kurds — in the July 15 coup attempt, dismissing thousands more civil servants in the past week. Turkey
How Ankara is using taxes to target boozers Staggering tax hikes on alcoholic beverages have made Turkey’s national drink, raki, a luxury beyond the reach of many ordinary Turks. Turkey
Zionist Camp MK's message to the Israeli left Knesset member Ksenia Svetlova of the Zionist Camp told Al-Monitor in an interview that she still believes a diplomatic agreement with the Palestinians is the only solution and that Israelis must realize that there is no way to totally end terror acts. Palestine
Egypt's parliament, judiciary face off against each other The Egyptian parliament is currently discussing a draft law to amend judicial law, which legal experts say will infringe on the judiciary’s independence. Egypt
Can PA end arms proliferation in West Bank? The Palestinian Authority has ratified draft legislation on firearms and ammunition licensing fees in a bid to create a monopoly on arms in the West Bank. Palestine
Illegal hunting threatens biodiversity of Iraq's marshes In the absence of deterrent laws and decisive actions by the authorities, hunters in Iraq are killing migrant birds on a large scale. Iraq
Egypt sets up new fund to revive tourism industry The Central Bank of Egypt has set up a new fund to revive its ailing tourism industry, and experts are upbeat about the outlook of tourism in 2017. Egypt
Rafsanjani sparks final controversy as rival mourners clash Controversy continued to follow former President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani even in death, as mourners of different political stripes chanted rival slogans at his funeral. Iran
Millions of Iranians turn out for Rafsanjani funeral Millions of Iranians unexpectedly show up for the funeral of two-time President Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Iran
Bad joke lands prominent Iranian comedian in deep trouble A prominent Iranian TV comedian has found himself under heavy fire after ridiculing men who grant their wives divorces. Iran
