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
Egyptian conference deepens internal Fatah split The conference on the Palestinian cause held in Ain Sokhna in Egypt stirred controversy among Fatah members supporting Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and supporters of dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan. Palestine
How dual nationality became a key controversy in Iran The issue of dual citizenship is turning into a full-blown political football in Iran, where 35 senior officials have been barred from holding office following probes into their citizenships. United States
Zarif-Kerry joint prize raises eyebrows in Iran For Iran's foreign minister, winning an international prize may not be good news as hard-liners could use it as a pretext to attack him. United States
Is US reconsidering its support for Saudi Arabia in Yemen war? The recent missile attacks on US vessels off Yemen’s coast as well as the limited US response suggest that Washington may be disengaging from the war in Yemen and putting pressure on Saudi Arabia to follow suit. Saudi Arabia
Will foreign pressure save or destroy Israel? After the executive director of Israeli human rights group B'Tselem spoke out against settlements before the UN Security Council, the resulting criticism took issue only with his call for international intervention to advance peace. Palestine
Egyptians divided as tuk-tuk driver's rant goes viral A tuk-tuk driver has gone into hiding after a video spread of him expressing concern about Egypt's surging food prices and disappearing vital commodities. Egypt
Cairo-Addis Ababa dispute over Oromo could derail dam talks Ethiopia has accused Cairo of supporting anti-government protests by Oromo, which some fear could have negative repercussions on Renaissance Dam negotiations. Egypt
Has JASTA pushed Saudi Arabia and Israel closer? Riyadh has become convinced more than ever that the closer it gets to Tel Aviv, which it believes has influence in US decision-making circles, the stronger and safer it will become in the face of JASTA. Saudi Arabia
Why one Palestinian actor came back to the Israeli stage Actor George Ibrahim appeared at the Acre Fringe Theater Festival almost 30 years after leaving the Israeli art scene and establishing the Al-Kasaba Ramallah Theater. Palestine
Syria rejects Russian proposal for Kurdish federation Russia's attempt to broker a Kurdish solution was warmly received by Kurds but got the cold shoulder from Damascus. Syria
How Turkey is becoming a snitching paradise The aftermath of the July 15 coup attempt has seen a surge of informants in Turkey, compounding an already terrible climate of fear. Turkey
Will warming ties with Iran impact Morocco’s relationship with Saudi Arabia? Morocco announced the appointment of an ambassador to Tehran, ending a seven-year break in diplomatic ties. But concerns are emerging about the reaction of Saudi Arabia, an ally to the kingdom and enemy of Iran. Saudi Arabia
