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
Ankara’s policies in Iraq, Syria perplex US Turkey's approach to the Aleppo and Mosul issues complicates its relations with the United States. Iraq
Iranian Reformists send clear support for Rouhani A new, unofficial think tank in Tehran intends to give advice to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and aims for there to be more Reformist influence in the president’s inner circle. Iran
Iraqi Kurds step into Ankara-Baghdad row Iraq has called on the UN Security Council to adopt a resolution calling for the immediate withdrawal of Turkish troops from its soil. Iraq
Will PA wait for US elections to submit new UN resolution? Palestinians are not convinced by the Palestinian Authority's justifications for delaying a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlement activity. Palestine
How Palestinians hope to increase exports Earlier in September, the Palestine Trade Center announced the Palestine Exporter Award for 2016, a national recognition to promote an export culture among Palestinian firms, encourage diversification in exports and support access to new markets in a bid to achieve national economic development. Palestine
Birzeit protest ends as students strike tuition deal A heavy budget deficit — though lighter than those of other Palestinian universities — led Birzeit University to call for a tuition hike, sparking a protest movement by the student council that closed the school's gates for a month. Palestine
Abbas unfazed by criticism of participation in Peres' funeral Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ participation in former Israeli President Shimon Peres' funeral brought out raw anger against Abbas, but he remains adamant in his pursuit of peace through negotiations. Palestine
Meet Nabila Mounib, an outsider in Morocco's parliamentary elections In an interview with Al-Monitor, Nabila Mounib, the secretary-general of the United Socialist Party, discussed her party’s political program. Morocco
Why secular Israelis love an ultra-Orthodox minister Ultra-Orthodox Health Minister Yaakov Litzman might not have Facebook or Twitter accounts, but through a series of nonpartisan reforms in the health system, he has managed to capture the hearts of both religious and secular Israelis. Israel
Will Fatah’s seventh conference unite its ranks? Fatah’s Central Committee announced the holding of the movement’s seventh conference after a seven-year absence, which would help unite Fatah’s ranks and prepare it for any future elections. Palestine
Iraq’s parliament speaker outlines post-IS plan As Mosul battle looms, Iraqi parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri speaks to Al-Monitor about the current political situation in the country and discusses what the future might hold for Sunni-majority provinces. Iraq
Speeches and eulogies won’t advance Israeli-Palestinian peace American presidents have made historic speeches about the Middle East, and have delivered inspiring eulogies at the funerals of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and President Shimon Peres — but all that has not brought peace any closer. Palestine
