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
Yazidi students abandon Arabic script with eye toward Europe Yazidi refugees in Turkey are struggling to restart their children’s education, and many are now learning the Latin alphabet with the hope of one day starting new lives in Europe. Iraq
Death sentences passed on Turkey's hungry bears Rather than feeding hungry wild bears, officials charged with preserving ecological life have decided to kill 15 of them. Turkey
Is Abbas’ resignation from PLO bid to consolidate power? Critics claim that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has resigned as chairman of the PLO's Executive Committee to force a re-election and then stack the new committee with his supporters. Palestine
Have Israel, Hamas reopened backchannel to discuss swap deal? A Palestinian source has claimed that in recent messages between Israel and Hamas over the communication channel established for the Gilad Shalit exchange, Hamas has admitted to holding Israeli civilian Avraham Mengistu. Palestine
Israel needs new police chief, but is Gal Hirsch the one for the job? With the deteriorating image of Israel's police force, it was necessary to appoint an outside candidate as police chief, but perhaps controversial reserve Brig. Gen. Gal Hirsch is not the right person for the task. Israel
Lebanon protesters shift focus from garbage crisis to cleaning up government The demonstrations held Aug. 22 by independent Lebanese activists against the government's mishandling of waste collection management are likely to continue, as people now shift their focus to corruption in the political class. Lebanon
Dangers of international 'fatigue' on Israel-Palestine issue If the international community opts for passivity on a two-state solution instead of intervention, the policy vacuum might attract many negative factors and ignite violence. Palestine
KRG parliament speaker: Barzani's term extension 'against the law' Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament Yousif Mohammed Sadiq, who is leading the opposition to the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s efforts to keep President Massoud Barzani in office, tells Al-Monitor that Barzani has lost his legitimacy. Iraq
Gaza's cybercriminals get rich hacking Internet-based phone lines Cybercrime is on the rise in the Gaza Strip, where an absence of relevant legislation has facilitated criminals' efforts to intercept Internet-based phone lines and sell minutes. Palestine
Syrian Shiites take up arms in support of Assad's army Syria's tiny Shiite community is taking greater steps toward arming itself as the civil war grinds on. Syria
Iranian oil minister: 'Others' should be worried about oil prices Iran's oil minister has said the ministry would welcome an emergency OPEC meeting, but that Iran will not limit its oil production to retain its share of the oil market. Iran
Nablus library seeks to catch up with modern times The Nablus Municipality Public Library is a Palestinian cultural landmark, but its current inability to keep up with technological advances has limited scholars' access to its holdings. Palestine
