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
Will KRG be next target of Turkey's Gulenist purge? Though the Gulen movement has long been a major player in education, business and public facilities in Iraqi Kurdistan, observers doubt that the Turkish government will let its influence hinder relations between the two important trading partners. Iraq
How Turkey is reforming its military Turkey is undertaking revolutionary military reforms, but they can’t yet be characterized democratic. Turkey
Turkey's reality dating shows see spike in complaints, ratings Turkey’s matchmaking reality shows have come under scrutiny by the country’s media watchdog amid increasing complaints, but their unending scandals continue to raise their ratings. Turkey
Millionaire MK's plan: Partners in business will be partners for peace In an interview with Al-Monitor, Knesset member Erel Margalit argues that Israel should focus on joint regional economic ventures to build confidence, and from there advance to negotiating with the Palestinians. Israel
Gaza youth show zeal for upcoming local elections With the municipal elections Oct. 8 in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the youth in Gaza seem eager to form their own lists as independent candidates. Palestine
Was Israel's Iran deal-Nazi agreement comparison step too far? Amid an effort to quickly conclude a US military aid deal, the Israeli Defense Ministry issued a statement comparing US President Barack Obama to Neville Chamberlin and the Iranian deal to the Munich Agreement. Israel
'Pallets of cash' controversies pay off for conservatives in US, Iran The controversy over a US-Iran settlement of a canceled arms deal indicates that opponents of reconciliation between the two countries are likely to try to use future settlements for political gain. Iran
Saudi Arabia's moment of truth in Yemen Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud has three options to choose from on Yemen, none of them good. Saudi Arabia
Why Russia doesn't want Aleppo to fall Could Russia be seeing a stalemate in Aleppo as playing to its advantage? Syria
Obama: no safe haven for al-Qaeda in Syria The United States to continue "intense fire efforts" against terrorist group as US-Russia talks appear stalled; Is Muqtada al-Sadr losing the Iraqi street? Nouri al-Maliki plots his return. Iraq
No end to the militias in Iraq Every once in a while a new militia emerges in Iraq, increasing the chance of instability in the country. Iraq
Iran’s volleyball team looks to shock the world in Rio With their first-ever Olympic qualification, the Iranian men’s volleyball team is looking to shock the world in the Rio Olympics. Iran
