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 a Gaza Christian became a blind Muslim's eyes The longstanding friendship between a blind Muslim man and a Christian demonstrates how Gaza residents feel that everyone is in the same boat regardless of their religion. Palestine
Gaza inmates get second chance Rehabilitation centers in the Gaza Strip are implementing employment programs to help inmates acquire or improve practical skills during their incarceration. Palestine
Tehran drags Moscow deeper into Syria The war in Syria is hitting Iran ever closer to home, prompting Tehran to push for closer coordination with Russia, even as leaders on both sides complain of a lack of confidence and tactical misalignments. Syria
Obama should ignore misguided 'dissent' on Syria A Syrian official suggests "federalization" could be the outcome of the political reform discussions, as the Obama administration holds the line on calls for airstrikes against the Syrian government. Syria
Egypt condemns Orlando attack, yet continues crackdown on LGBT citizens Egypt's LGBT activists, who once had high hopes that the January 25 Revolution would bring about a greater openness for gays in Egypt, have been sorely disappointed by the actions against them under the Sisi administration. Egypt
US election 2016: Orlando shooting sparks furious attacks on campaign trail Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of June 13. Iraq
Iran shifts on Syria While the Obama administration is facing internal pressure to toughen its stance against Syria's Assad regime, Iran's Supreme National Security Council and Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif are playing a larger role in setting Syria policy. Syria
Can Palestinian right of return issue be solved? Palestinians are elaborating creative ideas to solve the complex issue of the right of return so that a two-state solution can be reached. Palestine
How Egypt plans to address its growing water crisis As Egypt faces its worst water crisis in 100 years, farmers are stuck between their need to cultivate cash-generating crops that require a lot of water and the Egyptian state's ban on water-thirsty crops. Egypt
Meet TEMA, Turkey’s fastest growing civic group In a country where civic organizations are met with suspicion, Turkey’s environmentalist group TEMA has reached a membership of 600,000 people. Turkey
Erdogan expected to put anti-Gulen movement in high gear The Turkish government has officially declared the Gulen movement a terrorist organization, paving the way for even speedier seizures of Gulen-affiliated universities. Turkey
How are Turkey and Russia getting along these days? As Moscow and Ankara work to shore up their relations, it's clear the foundation wasn't all that solid to begin with. Turkey
