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
US election 2016: Is Trump trying to lose? Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of Aug. 1. United States
Will Cairo decide to float the pound? Egypt's severe dollar shortage has contributed to the crisis facing the national currency, leading some to speculate a decision to float will come soon. Egypt
Political leg of Gulenist network in Turkey remains obscure Pressure mounts on the Turkish government to assume political responsibility for Gulenist entrenchment in the state. Turkey
How a Turkish daily targeting army tutelage was banned for supporting a coup Taraf, a plucky liberal newspaper operating on a shoestring budget, was the poster child for the AKP's efforts to defang the Turkish army. Its fortunes mirror the feud between the AKP and Fethullah Gulen. Turkey
Prices of illegal weapons in West Bank on the rise The Palestinian police have been leading wide-scale efforts to crack down on gun manufacturing and illegal trade in a bid to reduce the phenomenon of tribal and family shootings, while prices of illegal weapons have been soaring. Palestine
Why are Gulenists hostile toward Iran? There seems to be a blind spot in the excited discussion surrounding the failed coup in Turkey: the long and complex enmity between Iran and the followers of exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen. Turkey
Jabhat al-Nusra’s rebranding is more than simple name change By separating from its parent organization, Jabhat al-Nusra — now Jabhat Fatah al-Sham — could attract members who had been hesitant to be associated with al-Qaeda. Syria
Who is Golani, Nusra's No. 1 man? Al-Monitor has exclusive information about the life of Abu Mohammed al-Golani, the leader of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra). Witnesses talked about his jihad in Iraq and his journey back to Syria from where he announced the formation of Jabhat al-Nusra in 2012. Iraq
Hamas, Fatah no longer the only candidates in Palestinian elections In a bid to break the acute polarization between Hamas and Fatah, the Palestinian left-wing forces are running in the Palestinian elections on a unified list. Palestine
Palestinian electoral commission: Israel might hinder upcoming local elections The head of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission, Hanna Nasir, reveals to Al-Monitor that Hamas agreed to run in the Palestinian local elections set for Oct. 8. Palestine
![Palestinian teenagers handle a nine millimeter semi-automatic pistol in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem January 4, 2001. The Dheisheh refugee camp hosts thousands of Palestinian refugees since the 1948 Israeli occupation. [Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat began consulting Arab leaders in Cairo on Thursday on U.S. President Bill Clinton's peace proposals before announcing whether he accepts them. ] - RTXK7RJ](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2016/08/RTXK7RJ.jpg/RTXK7RJ.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=w_WI4Z_F)
