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
Zarif pushes Syria plan ahead of Iran-GCC talks With a nuclear deal in hand, Iran is focusing on jump-starting regional diplomacy and dealing with Syria. Legacy: Gulf
Tehran district grows by leaps and bounds The Iranian capital's newest district presents plenty of opportunities, but also challenges. Iran
Iraqi children traumatized by IS violence The Islamic State has left Iraqi families, and especially children, traumatized amid persistent but insufficient efforts by international organizations. Iraq
Coptic Church unhappy Egyptian Christians are joining Salafist-linked party The Coptic Church in Egypt is not happy about some of its followers joining the Salafist Nour Party, whose platform it believes is sectarian and anti-Coptic. Egypt
Will Sisi's economic reforms succeed? A little more than one year into his term, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's economic policies and generous foreign aid seem to have had a positive impact on the economy, but many challenges remain. Egypt
Weaving through Turkey's history of kilims Hand-woven kilims are inspired by a rich culture, but are also gaining global popularity among rich, modern-day nomads. Turkey
Ankara slices away at meat prices The Turkish government has intervened in the market to address soaring food prices as the Central Bank stumbles in its fight against inflation. Turkey
PKK vs. Turkey: Violence plagues people of Basak Turkish security forces expand their operations to urban areas in the southeast of the country. Iraq
Civilians 'biggest losers' of opposition infighting in eastern Ghouta The residents of eastern Ghouta are falling victim to disputes between the warring factions in the area, as each accuses the other of monopolizing control of tunnels and food commodities. Syria
Former US national security adviser endorses Iran deal Brent Scowcroft, former Republican US national security adviser, tells Al-Monitor that US failure to implement the nuclear agreement with Iran “would be an abdication of America’s unique role and responsibility, incurring justified dismay among our allies and friends.” Iran
Rethinking the Middle East's nuclear balance Following the Iran nuke deal, the US and the regional powers must strive for a regional security agreement, either based on a mutual deterrence verification system or a nuclear-free Middle East. Israel
Who is targeting Iranians in Turkey? A series of attacks on Iranian interests in Turkey raises the question of why the PKK may seek to hit Iran at this point. Iraq
![- PHOTO TAKEN 29NOV05 - A woman weaves a kilim carpet as a way to contribute to the household income in a workshop in Hakkari province, the most remote southeast province in Turkey, November 29, 2005. [In the shadows of mountains bordering Iraq and Iran, Turkey's Hakkari province may one day be an outpost of the European Union. But for now, it feels cut off from the world. Picture taken November 29, 2005.] - RTXO1TP](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2015/08/RTXO1TP.jpg/RTXO1TP.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=_rpOlF8b)
