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
The untold story of how Congress is helping save a Lebanese cultural jewel A US senator created the American Committee for Tyre 35 years ago, and now former Hill staffers are bringing it back to life. Lebanon
What will US-Saudi summit mean for Iranian policy in the Middle East? In a meeting Sept. 4 with US President Barack Obama, Saudi King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was assured that the nuclear deal prevents Iran — whose influence in the region the kingdom is eager to counter — from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Saudi Arabia
Will King Salman’s visit to Washington reset US-Saudi relations? The joint statement released following King Salman's meeting at the White House with President Barack Obama Sept. 4 indicates that they discussed the region's most pressing issues including the Iran nuclear deal, the Syrian civil war, the fight against the Islamic State and the war in Yemen. Saudi Arabia
Was Bibi's battle against Iran really a fight for his own survival? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu probably understood a while ago that objecting to the Iran deal would lead nowhere, but insisted on waging the battle against it for domestic political considerations. Israel
Congress' last hurrah before Iran vote A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of Sept. 7. Congress
Twenty years later, Turkey's Kurds still search for their missing The clock has run out on Kurds' decadeslong efforts to resolve cases of kidnapping and murder from the 1990s, leaving hundreds of Kurdish families distraught. Turkey
Does Israel's economy minister know the election is over? Israeli Economy Minister Aryeh Deri seems more busy creating provocations and headlines than making ministerial decisions on crucial issues such as the 2016 state budget or the natural gas outline. Israel
What Obama should say to King Salman during his visit The inaugural visit of Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud to Washington offers US President Barack Obama a unique opportunity to address the long-standing tensions and rivalry between Iran, Iraq and the GCC states. Legacy: Gulf
Jordan’s ‘highway through hell’ Amid security concerns, Iraqi authorities decided in mid-July to close the only border crossing with Jordan, leaving the once-busy trucking route between the two countries deserted. Iraq
Iraqis look to gemstones for psychological, physical treatment Iraqis are increasingly buying precious stones, which they believe have therapeutic capacities, can give energy and strength, protect them from envy and fend off dangers. Iraq
Are Turkey's AKP Twitter trolls heading for unemployment? If the AKP fails to decisively win the upcoming elections, one can expect a thorough liquidation not only of its questionable social media organization, but also its radio and television operations. Turkey
Russia to build Egyptian nuclear reactor Egypt selected a Russian company to build its long-stalled nuclear reactor, raising controversy about the political dimensions of this coordination. Egypt
