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
Corruption becomes hallmark of Israel government Israelis appear to be resigned in the face of a prime minister who dismisses Palestinian despair, Knesset members' involved in corruption and major companies gouging the public with the government's assistance. Israel
Why Israelis weren't interested in this week's Netanyahu-Obama meeting The Israeli press treated the Netanyahu-Obama meeting with indifference, focusing their attention instead on the European Union's decision to label settlement products. Israel
Palestinian lawmaker detained by Israeli military court Palestinian legislator Khalida Jarrar, accused of calling for the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, has been detained for several months now by an Israeli military court based on classified evidence, while her husband says the court has avoided examining evidence of her innocence. Palestine
Is it from Israel or Palestine? EU labeling guidelines spur more controversy Congress — and Israel — say new European labeling guidelines are an anti-Semitic ploy; the EU says they’re in line with 15 years of trade law. Palestine
Oman looks East As Oman practices diplomacy in the Middle East, it also is strengthening ties with China as a potential long-term partner. Oman
Has Syria been a military success for Iran? Iran was willing to negotiate its nuclear situation with world powers, but it wants everyone to know it is far from ready to abandon its strategic interests in the region. Syria
'Under 50' Iranians killed in Syria An Iranian security official has addressed several hot-button topics in the media, including the implementation of the nuclear deal and the rising Iranian death toll in Syria. Saudi Arabia
Qatar adopts cultural diplomacy to combat 'clash of ignorance' Cultural diplomacy is a tool needed now more than ever to develop dialogue and respect among different peoples and nations, and Qatar is moving on several fronts in this regard. Legacy: Gulf
Rising temperatures scorch Egypt’s rural poor August brought a stifling heat wave to Egypt, where the short-staffed medical centers of small villages were overrun by patients and officials downplayed the number of deaths. Egypt
Despite ongoing war, is trade between Turkey, Syria rebounding? As the number of Syrian companies set up in Turkey increases, the trade between the two countries is returning to prewar levels. Syria
Netanyahu's gushing over Obama meeting convinces no one Despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's effort to present his meeting with President Barack Obama as successful, he achieved little, and the Obama administration was considerably less enthusiastic about it. Palestine
What is Islamic Jihad's role in the intifada? The Islamic Jihad movement in Gaza has been organizing rallies and other nonmilitary activities to show solidarity with the intifada in the West Bank and Jerusalem. Palestine
