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 the IDF goes undercover among Palestinians The mistaravim, Israeli soldiers disguised as Palestinians, are known for infiltrating demonstrations. Palestine
Bibi promises victory at any cost, but who will pay the price? In his latest Knesset speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised Israelis a victory at any cost while ignoring the journalists who question his hollow words. Palestine
When will Lebanon get their kidnapped soldiers back? Jabhat al-Nusra has ended negotiations on the release of Lebanese soldiers and security personnel it captured in August 2014, and the Islamic State has rejected efforts to discuss the soldiers it captured at that time. Lebanon
Does Iran even want Russia in Syria? Despite the stepped-up Russian role in Syria, it is still not clear whether Iran views this development in a wholly positive light. Iraq
IS, Jabhat al-Nusra trace Afghan battle lines in face-off against Russia In Syria today, terrorist groups are applying lessons from the Afghanistan experience to their plans to counter Russia. Syria
Egyptians prepare for elections ... but do they really matter? Egypt's parliamentary elections start Oct. 19, with a focus on individual candidacies as opposed to those sponsored by political parties. Egypt
Turkey’s plane project hits turbulence Technical, economic and political problems threaten TRJet, Turkey’s first passenger plane. Turkey
Egypt faces another dam challenge Egypt has been expressing its fears that the Renaissance Dam project would be completed before a planned study is carried out, as this could jeopardize Egypt’s share of the Nile waters. Egypt
Once-frosty Erdogan warms up to NATO Russia’s military intervention in Syria is forcing Turkey's president to acknowledge he needs NATO. Syria
Iran hard-liners call parliament vote on nuclear deal illegal In a last-ditch effort to oppose the inevitable implementation of the nuclear deal, some Iranian hard-liners are claiming that the parliamentary approval process violated the law. Iran
Why it's time for Israel to close Temple Mount to Jews The Israeli government must take decisive steps to show that it has no intention of altering the status quo in regard to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Palestine
Palestinians in Israel ride rip current into violence The Israeli-Arab sector has been dragged into a conflict of interests, with Joint List Knesset members backing the Islamic movement. Palestine
