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
How Israel balances cyber security, privacy In an interview with Al-Monitor, cyber security specialist Major Gen. (Res.) Isaac Ben-Israel explains that security must be balanced with civilians' right to privacy, which is why the new National Cyber Bureau will be independent and not under Shin Bet control. Israel
Lebanon’s first free fashion school Creative Space Beirut is Lebanon’s first free fashion school that offers courses to underprivileged aspiring designers. Lebanon
Erbil refugee camp prioritizes education As more than 1.5 million internally displaced people and refugees fled to the more secure regions of Iraqi Kurdistan, Father Douglas al-Bazi established a refugee camp focusing on the education and cultural development of children. Iraq
Did Ankara-backed group attack Turkish Kurds? A string of unresolved attacks against Kurds has raised suspicions that the Turkish government is training and recruiting jihadist militants from the Syrian conflict as paramilitary forces to target government opponents. Syria
After Tell Abyad, what's next for PYD? While Ankara is confused what to do after the victory of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and Free Syrian Army in Tell Abyad, the PYD is deciding on its next target. Syria
Kurds eye new corridor to Mediterranean The dream of a Kurdish corridor from Jazeera to Afrin appears to be attainable, but everything depends on the complicated relationships the Kurds are working to maintain in the area's complex ethnic and ideological makeup. Syria
Will nuclear talks prevent Jalili's return to politics? A successful conclusion to the negotiations on Iran's nuclear program could doom the effort by hard-line former nuclear negotiator Saeed Jaili to return to politics as a member of parliament. Iran
Erdogan sees threat from Kurdish gains in Syria Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives priority to battle Kurdish “terror organizations” over the Islamic State; the Islamic State's scorched-earth practices in Kobani; the Druze lobby in Israel. Israel
Saudi deputy crown prince seeks Russia deals Saudi Arabia's minister of defense signed several cooperation agreements with Russia this past week. Saudi Arabia
Congress sharpens its knives ahead of Iran deal A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of June 22. Congress
Death penalty divides Egyptians Despite recent calls for Egypt to abolish capital punishment, getting rid of the death penalty is no simple matter. Egypt
Demirel showed best and worst of Turkey Few people in Turkey liked former President Suleyman Demirel, yet the statesman, who died June 16, represented his compatriots’ best and worst sides. Turkey
