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
Tensions escalate between Iraqi protesters, security forces As an inseparable part of the Iraqi community suffers from unemployment, poverty and lack of services, the Iraqi young people taking part in the current anti-government protests are growing more and more frustrated with their government’s inaction, which may eventually leave them with violence as a last resort. Iraq
Right-wing celebrations of Tel Aviv attacks 'huge warning sign' Some right-wing Israelis are happy about the recent terror attack on Tel Aviv because of its association with the Israeli left. Israel
Erdogan links Crusades with present-day terror Turkey’s president looks to the past, rather than to his own failed policies; Aleppo offensive imminent; is Israel employing a double standard in its dealings with Turkey? Israel
Can the Chinese save Israel's tourism industry? As security concerns continue to weaken the Israeli tourism sector, Israel's Tourism Ministry is investing heavily in efforts to expand its still nascent Chinese market. Israel
US election 2016: Can a VP pick help Trump look more 'presidential'? The presumptive Republican nominee has many choices for his vice presidential pick, but will that matter? United States
Will new 5-year plan solve Iran's economic problems? Iran's incoming parliament is set to debate the government's ambitious five-year development plan, but will the plan be enough to address the country's economic needs? Iran
Why does Turkey suddenly need so many bankruptcy trustees? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's battle against the Gulen movement is making some people very rich — and bankrupting others. Turkey
How UN summit disappointed its Turkish hosts Turkey refused to sign a joint statement at the end of the first World Humanitarian Summit it hosted in late May, wary of an international investigation into gross human rights abuses in its conflict-torn southeast. Turkey
How to end cycle of violence between Palestinians, Israelis The latest attack in a Tel Aviv market raises questions about the factors pushing Palestinians to commit such acts of violence against Israelis and illustrates the need for talks about applying the two-state solution to end the cycle of violence between both parties. Palestine
Will Iraqi-Kurdish conflict break out in Ninevah? Now that the Kurdish peshmerga forces have succeeded in ousting the Islamic State from crucial parts of Ninevah province, they're more determined than ever not to see the area slide back into the hands of the Iraqi forces. Iraq
How these female engineers intend to fix Gaza’s roads Three engineers from Gaza came up with a new technique for asphalt roads, hoping to fix the poor conditions of streets in the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Will this mobile library drive Egyptian kids to read? An Egyptian teacher has been roaming the villages of Egypt in his vehicle, distributing books and telling stories, in a bid to bridge the cultural gap between the villages and cities. Egypt
