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
IS intensifies attacks outside Aleppo After news broke of the US-Turkish plan to establish a safe zone in Syria, the Islamic State stepped up operations against opposition forces in Aleppo's northern countryside. Syria
Turkey's 'foot-dragging' on fight against IS continues Diplomats say Turkey’s sincerity will be judged by its determination to continue its active support of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State. Syria
The Iraqi Kurds' waning love affair with Turkey Relations between the Turkish government and the Kurdistan Regional Government look likely to deteriorate as Turkey escalates its war against the Kurdistan Workers Party. Iraq
State Department: Middle East needs 10-year plan including pressure on Iran, improved US relations with Sunni countries The international community allotted the Iran agreement at least 10 years, a time frame that, according to a State Department official, may be necessary "to stabilize the region and to implement the two-state solution." Palestine
Why Iraq needs a united Sunni authority to face extremism Sunnis in Iraq ought to drop their differences and form a united institution, which would also be supported by Shiites, in order to confront religious extremism. Iraq
Turkey’s protracted PKK problem Although many Kurds do not like the leftist and secular agenda of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the PKK has shown great resilience, in part as the result of the fragmented Iraqi and Syrian states and political missteps by Turkey. Iraq
With Khobar bomber's arrest, Saudi Arabia deals blow to Iran With the recent arrest of the Khobar Tower bomber, Saudi-Iranian tensions have been elevated to new levels. Saudi Arabia
Iranian clerics, filmmakers face off over religious movie In Iran, controversy erupts as "Resurrection," an award-winning film about a Shiite imam, is banned over objections from senior clerics. Iran
Will Rouhani serve a second term? Iran's Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli said in an interview that only a quarter of the president's term has passed and that he will serve eight years as president. Iran
Hoping to multiply long-term growth, Bennett looks to integrate more math studies into Israeli curriculum Education Minister Naftali Bennett's decision to choose math studies as his prime reform plan could help him restore his original political image of being the startup entrepreneur who focuses on Israel's high-tech future. Israel
As Turkey's consumer confidence plummets, what does that mean for the AKP? Turkey’s consumer confidence index — a key indicator that is closely correlated with the AKP’s electoral showings — is on the decline, signaling further losses for the party in the Nov. 1 early elections. Turkey
PKK looks to the future with creation of youth militias Spiraling urban violence is spearheaded by the PKK’s young militias. Turkey
