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
Gaza’s landfills threaten citizens' health Amid a lack of an advanced system to sort out hazardous household waste, experts deem Gaza’s current waste disposal operations unhealthy, causing a serious threat to public health. Palestine
Al-Azhar rewrites curricula Based on recommendations by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Al-Azhar University in Cairo is taking steps toward updating the religious discourse it teaches to its students through revising curricula and minimizing references to distorted concepts of jihad and extremism. Egypt
Ultra-Orthodox now willing to wait tables After years of shunning jobs like waiting tables and sales, traditionally viewed as "undignified" by the ultra-Orthodox in Israel, many members of the community who recently entered the labor market have joined the service industry. Israel
Yazidis dream of Europe About 20,000 Yazidis who have fled from the Islamic State and became refugees in Turkey are now hoping, perhaps in vain, to reach Europe. Turkey
Lebanese art program empowers Tripoli girls The girls at a Catholic school in Tripoli are gaining confidence through the Cross Arts program to express themselves with graffiti and other forms of art. Lebanon
Post-election Erdogan cannot regain power he lost If Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan pushes for snap elections, he may be disappointed with the results. Turkey
Was Reyhanli attacked to oust Turkish spy chief? Leaked court documents about the worst terror attack in Turkey have revealed that Turkish security forces failed to act on 13 official warnings from the intelligence service. Turkey
Former Iran FM warns of continued Iran-Saudi tensions In an interview with Al-Monitor, Iran's first foreign minister after the 1979 Islamic Revolution talked about the tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia, the Rouhani administration and the lack of respect for the law within the country. Iran
Zarif travels to Iran after nuclear talks with Kerry Iran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif departed nuclear talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry and P5+1 diplomats in Vienna June 28 for consultations in Tehran, as officials say they will need a few days past the June 30 deadline to try to conclude the nuclear deal. Iran
Did Khamenei blur his own red lines on sanctions? Supreme Leader Khamenei gives strong backing for Iran’s negotiating team heading into Vienna talks; Assad holds off on hitting Islamic State, for now; Israel forced to clarify position on Jabhat al-Nusra; Egypt seeks to counter Turkey’s role in Syria. Egypt
Did Khamenei demand immediate sanctions relief? Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s acknowledgement of the time necessary for the West to uphold its commitments gains great importance when put into the context of what he defines as “signing of the agreement.” Iran
What's behind Israel's easing of travel restrictions? As Israel eases restrictions on Palestinian Muslims visiting Jerusalem during the month of Ramadan, some see it as an extension of the occupation while better managing the crisis. Palestine
