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
Iraq's failing construction projects Corruption seems to be behind the failure of construction and development projects in Iraq. Iraq
Netanyahu loses control Recent attacks of Israelis in Jerusalem and the West Bank also undermine Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu politically from inside his own coalition and from the right-wing opposition. Palestine
Israel finally agrees to increase support for Christian schools, but is it enough? A historical agreement has been reached to rectify the discriminatory discrepancy in state subsidies to Jewish and Christian schools in Israel. Palestine
Ultra-Orthodox fight to restrict Christian missions in Israel Ultra-Orthodox and other Jewish organizations are pushing for an amendment to the Israeli law against proselytizing that they say is currently unenforced. Israel
Obama prepared to work with Putin to broker Syria transition Despite widespread condemnation of Russian airstrikes in Syria, signs of progress on UN-brokered talks on a political transition; Iran’s ties with Saudi Arabia and Egypt; the trend toward counterterrorism; United States should not treat Iraq as a "weak partner." Saudi Arabia
Bon Jovi rocks Tel Aviv, dedicating 'We don’t run' to their fight In a seemingly normal evening, Israelis enjoyed a rock show by Bon Jovi, while the situation in Jerusalem and the West Bank keeps escalating, with dramatic stabbing incidents. Palestine
Congress to probe war in Yemen A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Oct. 5. Saudi Arabia
Hajj disaster lost chance for Saudi-Iranian engagement Rather than functioning as a platform for cooperation, the deadly stampede in Mina has only worsened the war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Can Iran shield its embattled auto sector? Amid a parliamentary move to hike car import tariffs, debate surfaces on the wider problem of what to do about Iran's troubled auto sector. Iran
Saudi war in Yemen impossible to win As Yemen's civilian casualties mount and Arab coalition forces sustain further losses, it looks increasingly likely that Saudi Arabia's war in Yemen will only lead to more destruction. Legacy: Gulf
The changing fabric of foreign companies in Turkey The number of European companies in Turkey has stagnated, while the number of Asian companies is booming. Syria
For Turkey’s Greek minority, an island school provides fresh hope A Greek school on an Aegean island in Turkey has reopened after half a century, raising hopes that Turkey’s dwindling Greek minority will escape extinction. Turkey
