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
How this young Yazidi is bringing hope to IS victims Pari Ibrahim, a young Yazidi women living in the Netherlands, established the Free Yezidi Foundation to highlight the stories of victims of this Iraqi community at the hands of the Islamic State. Iraq
Syrian refugees in Egypt showcase their art On World Refugee Day, young Syrian refugee artists in Egypt were given the chance to showcase their artwork at an exhibit at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria. Egypt
How education reform could curb Palestinian unemployment To reduce unemployment among young people, the Palestinian government is developing vocational and technical education programs to meet Palestinian and Arab labor market needs. Palestine
Why Jordan’s plan to integrate Syrian refugees into workforce has faltered The Jordanian government’s plan to issue free work permits to Syrian refugees has not produced the desired results. Jordan
Erdogan’s latest wake-up call on Islamic State The Obama administration weighs deeper coordination with Moscow against Jabhat al-Nusra; Erdogan’s slow turnaround on Syria policy; Hamas seeks to resume ties with Iran. Palestine
Iranian student confronts Khamenei over treatment of critics University student Mohammad Ali Kamfirouzi questioned Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on how the country should deal with those who voice criticism of the government. Iran
Why did Egypt deport this British-Lebanese TV host? While Cairo says TV host Liliane Daoud had overstayed her residency permit, others suspect her deportation came as a result of her show hosting anti-government voices. Egypt
Will leaked payslips scandal bring down Rouhani? Iranians are more outraged by the day over revelations of exorbitant pay for executives at state-controlled banks and insurance firms as the fallout from their leaked payslips continues. Iran
Could Turkish-Israeli reconciliation eventually end Gaza siege? The reconciliation agreement between Israel and Turkey has been modestly welcomed in the Gaza Strip, as Palestinians hope it will lead the way to the end of the blockade. Palestine
US election 2016: Clinton veep talk heats up Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of June 27. Congress
Welcome to the most vulnerable country to terrorism As long as the Turkish government does not attach priority to the fight against IS, Turkey will remain the most vulnerable country in the world. Syria
Are Egypt’s courts carrying out their own revolution? Some recent rulings could indicate Egyptian courts are trying to reclaim — or expand, some would say — the judiciary's influence. Egypt
