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
Row erupts in Jordan over school curricula changes While few deny the need to reform Jordan's education system, the issue of combating extremism in the school curricula is dividing the kingdom. Jordan
Tunisia-Libya border buffer zone deprives residents of income Unrest gripped Tunisia's southeastern city of Ben Guerdane in the wake of the death of a young man who was shot by a Tunisian military patrol on the border with Libya during a hot pursuit of smuggling vehicles coming from Libya to the military buffer zone in southern Tunisia. Libya
Gaza parents object to mixed-gender schools The new school year opened with sit-ins at both government and UNRWA-affiliated schools in Gaza in protest of the schools' efforts to combine boys and girls in the same classes. Palestine
Iran looms large over Senate fight to block arms sales for Saudi war in Yemen Resolution sponsors insist: It’s a civil war, not a proxy war. Saudi Arabia
Riyadh's bold gamble King Salman's costly foreign adventures and high-risk interventions are a significant departure from past Saudi foreign policy. Saudi Arabia
Egypt risks losing support of expats following work permit fee increase Egyptian citizens working abroad are furious at the parliament’s approval of an increase in fees on expatriate work permits. Egypt
Why Sahrawis see more hope in war than in peace Sahrawi leaders are growing ever-more impatient — and becoming more vocal about it — as little has been accomplished in the 25 years they have waited peacefully for change. Algeria
Iran says US in cahoots with terrorists in Syria The US-led coalition's bombing of Syrian government forces triggered harsh condemnation from Iran, which accused Washington of being in cahoots with terrorists in Syria. Syria
Veteran French diplomat: EU should play greater role in resolving Syria crisis French diplomat Alain Le Roy discusses the European Union's "unstable" and "insecure" borders and its greater challenge of resolving the crisis in Syria. Palestine
New Turkey-Russia hotline still subject to static Russia and Turkey are effusive about the positive gains in their relationship, but ties remain tenuous where Syria is concerned. Turkey
Turkey could find itself facing hefty legal bill for mass purges The mass expulsions of public servants after the July 15 coup attempt bode big legal trouble for Turkey, legal experts warn. Turkey
Palestinians on both sides seethe over postponed elections Palestinians are disappointed by the postponement of the local elections, and with the political divide as deep as ever, the wide disillusionment and frustration plaguing both the West Bank and Gaza is giving way to apathy. Palestine
