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
How Iran’s auto industry became the new domestic political football Iranian hard-liners are targeting automotive sector policies in their latest attack on the administration of President Hassan Rouhani. United States
Iraqi journalists join hands under National Media Alliance To provide better coverage of the Mosul operation and fight the Islamic State propaganda, several Iraqi media outlets have joined a media alliance. Iraq
Post-coup shake-up at Turkey's intelligence agency Director of Turkish Intelligence Hakan Fidan with radical changes signals his continuing importance and solid reputation. Turkey
Can Egypt's Brotherhood restore ties with Cairo? Don’t expect the Egyptian regime to forgive or forget the serious crimes of Muslim Brotherhood leaders, but there may be some hope for youthful offenders. Egypt
What you need to know about Morocco's recent protests Protests in Morocco are about more than the death of a fish vendor — they are about social and economic justice. Morocco
Clinton and Trump: How will it end? The presidential election is finally coming to an end — with 82% of voters saying the election has left them disgusted. United States
Is Turkey on the fast track to fascism? The July 15 coup in Turkey failed, but for many citizens, the country's upheaval carries all the signs of a regime change nonetheless. Turkey
Iran’s parliament shows its true colors The Iranian parliament’s vote of confidence to Rouhani’s new ministers signals that the legislature is now in the hands of supporters of the administration. Iran
Turkey crosses new thresholds in descent to autocracy As Ankara has expanded its crackdown on opposition quarters and crossed some critical thresholds in what now seems a drive to lay the foundations of an autocratic regime, is the country at the ultimate breaking point with democracy? Turkey
Tattoo artists work to stamp out social stereotypes in Egypt While many Muslims consider tattoos to be impermissible under Islamic law, the art is thriving in Egypt. Egypt
Why Kurds in southeast Turkey are not taking to the streets For the first time in 36 years, Diyarbakir has a government-appointed trustee to run its municipality — why was there not the expected popular reaction to the arrests of the city's elected co-mayors? Turkey
Israel's Zionist Camp is back in the game The Labor Party announced that it will organize the annual Yitzhak Rabin memorial ceremony, which was originally canceled for budgetary reasons, thus reconnecting with the Zionist Camp's original political-diplomatic peace agenda. Israel
