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
Egypt plans to raise crops in sub-Saharan Africa Egypt plans to agriculturally integrate with a number of water-rich countries in Africa to address the worsening food shortages in Egypt and the country’s inability to increase the size of agricultural land because of a lack of water. Egypt
Scholarship scandal strains PA's ties with Venezuela The recent furor over mismanaged scholarships to a Venezuelan medical school is further evidence that the Palestinian Authority takes advantage of foreign aid and grants while ignoring Palestinians’ needs. Palestine
Family members deny Gaza women their inheritances Women in Gaza are often denied their inheritance rights, which is why the Women's Affairs Center launched a project to raise awareness among women and empower them to claim their rights. Palestine
Lebanese split over Iran deal Political views in Lebanon diverge over the Iranian nuclear deal, as some consider it a tool to tighten relations between Tehran and Beirut and others as a way for Iran to further expand its influence in the region. Lebanon
Israel faces rise in Jewish terrorism Israeli security branches have been given approval to use a wider range of methods to curb violence by extremist settlers responsible for price tag attacks and the recent murder of a Palestinian baby. Palestine
Why are Israelis turning a blind eye to settler violence? The murders of a Palestinian toddler and a teenage girl have shaken Israelis from a willful blindness toward an already deteriorating situation that must be addressed to prevent a slide toward even more violence. Palestine
Shakeup expected for Turkish military leadership Major changes are expected at the August meetings of Turkey's High Military Council, and the positions adopted by the new military command will affect Turkish policies, including the course of current military operations. Turkey
US, Turkey diverge on role of Kurds in Syria Turkey reportedly targets Syrian Kurdish militias as it escalates attacks on the PKK; Egyptian journalists alarmed by proposed anti-terror law. Egypt
Lobbying 2015: US won't let Syria drag down Lebanon Lebanon’s central bank and its private financial firms are spending big money to prevent US pressure from unraveling one of the only sectors that still functions in the politically gridlocked nation. Lebanon
Lobbying 2015: Chaos in Libya confounds Congress Libya’s lobbying campaign can seem almost as chaotic as the country itself. Libya
Iranian hard-liners take aim at culture minister Already holding two "yellow cards" from parliament, Iran's culture minister may be on the verge of impeachment as conservatives ramp up criticism. Iran
Conservatives increase pressure on Rouhani Nuclear deal or no deal, Iranian conservatives who have anxiously been losing ground now face further isolation by President Hassan Rouhani's reforms and will redouble their political efforts. Iran
