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
Iraq's political leaders on quicksand as alliances fracture While Iraq's defense minister and parliament speaker trade accusations of corruption, the major political blocs that support them are threatening to split and reorganize themselves along nonsectarian lines. Iraq
Have Putin and Erdogan found common ground? At a meeting Aug. 9, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin seemed to have agreed on coordinating their country's roles in the Syrian conflict in light of the "common goal" they share. Turkey
Is Israel annexing West Bank Area C? Israel is actively pursuing a strategy of economic expansionism in Area C, making the Oslo Accord’s plan for a future Palestinian state not feasible. Palestine
What Bibi gets wrong about Israeli media The Israeli public perceives a media landscape dominated by left-wing positions, but reality tells another story. Israel
Can new Tunisian bill help counter violence against women? The Tunisian draft law on the elimination of all forms of violence against women has tightened sanctions against abusers, but it remains to be seen whether this law will be passed in parliament with or without amendments. Tunisia
How Gaza's electricity crisis is becoming Israel's water catastrophe The inability to treat wastewater in the Gaza Strip because of a lack of electricity is threatening to contaminate the water supplies of Gaza as well as Israel unless immediately addressed. Palestine
PA upset as 'VIP' travelers breeze over Allenby Bridge The Palestinian Authority is accusing Israel of intentionally stifling the flow of travelers through a border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan to promote a new and expensive VIP service. Palestine
Dam construction going full steam while Egypt-Ethiopia talks stall Ethiopia wooed the press during a recent open house at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, but declined to answer specific questions that could help assess the risks the dam might pose for Egypt. Egypt
New audio file sheds light on 1980s executions in Iran In a recently released audio file, Ayatollah Hussein Ali Montazeri can be heard disagreeing with the executions that took place in Iran in the late 1980s. Iran
One year on, are 'new' Suez Canal revenues sinking? Although the Suez Canal has not generated the expected revenues after expansion, future development plans in the canal zone could yield great economic benefits for the Egyptian economy. Egypt
Why Rouhani may have Khamenei to thank for avoiding Ahmadinejad Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appears to be making plans for a comeback in next year’s presidential vote — but will the conservatives forgive him for his disobedience of the supreme leader? Iran
