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
Saudis' war effort struggles on three fronts The two contenders to the Saudi throne need signs of impending victory in their battles against the Houthis to secure their legitimacy to lead. Legacy: Gulf
Captured fighter details Islamic State's Turkey connection A Turkish citizen who joined the Islamic State in September and was captured in early June by Syrian Kurds explained IS' induction process with chilling clarity in a video shared exclusively with Al-Monitor. Syria
Prospects for Egyptian-Jordanian cooperation remain hazy Since the ouster of Mohammed Morsi, economic ties have strengthened. Egypt
Turkey's rule of law on slippery slope The World Justice Project’s 2015 Rule of Law Index reveals striking evidence of rising authoritarianism in Turkey. Turkey
Gaza doctors find jobs in German clinics Amid the worsening living conditions and employment opportunities, doctors in the Gaza Strip take German classes to apply for jobs in Germany, which provides many incentives for medical practitioners. Palestine
Egypt 'tourism rebound' slow to reach South Sinai Egypt’s tourism sector has been slowly growing as people do not differentiate between South Sinai and North Sinai, where the fighting is ongoing between the Egyptian army and the Islamic State. Egypt
From Omar to Hussain: Why Iraqis are changing their names Intensification of Iraq's sectarian divide is forcing increasing numbers of people to change their names to avoid harassment and death. Iraq
Palestinians see no reason to negotiate as Israeli settlements continue As international efforts intensify to resume the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Palestinians feel that discussions will go nowhere as long as the Israeli government sticks to its policy of settlement expansion. Palestine
US suspends aid to Yemen for one year USAID has put $12 million in development aid on ice while Congress punts on future funding. Yemen
Bombshell book exposes Gul's differences with Erdogan The recent memoir of an aide to former Turkish President Abdullah Gul could be a harbinger of his return to politics. Turkey
Iran’s Basij concedes confiscating satellite dishes not working The head of Iran's Basij organization said that instead of confiscating satellite dishes from homes, authorities should speak to homeowners to persuade them to give up the satellite dishes, which he believes are part of a cultural invasion of Iran's enemies. Iran
MK Jelin: Gaza Strip is a 'ticking time bomb' Yesh Atid Knesset member Haim Jelin argues that following Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have been part of a regional diplomatic initiative fighting radical Islam. Palestine
