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
Israel's new defense minister draws up plan to topple Hamas Upon taking office, Israel's new Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman asked IDF senior officers to elaborate a military plan to topple Hamas rule, without taking over the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Why Sisi, Erdogan won't be making up anytime soon Relations between Egypt and Turkey may remain cold as long as Cairo continues to repress the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt
Why recent steps with Israel, Russia won't really change Turkish foreign policy Ending the Mavi Marmara crisis with Israel and extending an apology to Russia is not enough for a true change in Turkish foreign policy as long as it remains in the grips of Islamism and sectarianism. Turkey
Can Erdogan make more friends at home as well? Turkey's diplomatic overtures abroad may be far simpler than achieving national reconciliation within the country, where creeping authoritarianism has left little room for plurality. Turkey
What's really behind Turkey's controversial plan for refugees? Many people detect political schemes behind Erdogan’s proposed offer of citizenship to Syrian refugees. Syria
Baghdad bombing ignites demand for better security in Iraq Repercussions of the massive July 3 suicide bombing in Baghdad could include extensive political change and government reshuffling, especially if such attacks continue. Iraq
Slow response to Yemen’s crisis points to government incompetence As Yemen is facing its worst humanitarian and economic crisis in its modern history, the Saudi-led coalition needs to step up and restore security in the liberated areas by eliminating militias. Saudi Arabia
'We want water' say Bethlehem area protesters Palestinians in the Bethlehem area are protesting both the Israeli decrease in the available water supply and the Palestinian water authorities’ alleged lack of fairness in the distribution of existing water supplies. Palestine
Will PLO adopt new political strategy? As partisan bickering costs the Palestinian cause momentum in the regional and international arenas, the Palestinian National Initiative hopes a new strategy will unify the political leadership and end the division. Palestine
Why some Iraqi Shiites are pushing for distance from Iran Iraqi Shiites are dividing over their stance toward Iran, as the disagreement with Iran rose up among Shiites affiliated to Najaf. Iraq
Algeria rips House appropriators over Sahara coercion Algiers is furious at pro-Moroccan language in the annual foreign aid bill. Algeria
How Germany-Turkey discord could damage NATO alliance Turkish-German friction on allowing German parliamentarians to visit Incirlik Air Base could have serious ramifications in terms of complicating NATO plans to combat the Islamic State. Turkey
