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
Are the Palestinian assaults on Israelis lone wolf attacks? Palestinians largely support the latest spate of attacks on Israelis, which they see as retaliation for Israel’s attempted desecration of Al-Asqa Mosque and the occupation. Palestine
No love lost between Barak, Olmert Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein ordered the police to open an investigation, following taped conversations of former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert allegedly accusing former Prime Minister Ehud Barak of taking a bribe. Israel
Lebanon's parliamentary reboot puts rivals on the same side As Lebanese lawmakers vote to extend their own mandate for a second time, opposition groups find themselves on the same side. Lebanon
How Hamas uses Temple Mount Hamas leaders have been calling on West Bank Palestinians to attack Israel in efforts to provoke a religious war against Israel, as they depict a situation where the Israeli right wing is about to take over the Temple Mount. Palestine
Hamas: Israel fails to implement cease-fire deal Israel is keeping Gaza's borders closed as efforts to begin reconstruction stall, heightening the despair of ordinary Palestinians and frustrating Hamas. Palestine
Is Algeria's dialogue initiative for Libya still viable? Algeria had announced a dialogue initiative bringing together Libya’s rival factions to be held in October, but the month passed without a meeting being held. Egypt
Budget failure creates more economic woes for Iraq Iraq failed to agree on a budget for 2014 and seems set to fail on agreeing to a 2015 budget; economists warned that this would only add to the nation's financial problems. Iraq
Outsized ambitions leave Turkey with hefty bill Turkey is isolated not just by its neighbors but also by nations further afield. Turkey
Iraqi Shiites join Sunnis to fight Islamic State The Islamic State aimed to create a Shiite-Sunni conflict to impose its control, but Iraqi Sunnis have instead turned to help from Shiites to get rid of the extremist group. Iraq
Rouhani raises concern over falling oil price 'plot' Hosting Iraq’s Vice President Nouri al-Maliki this week in Tehran, Iran’s president raised the issue of falling oil prices and their implications for the region. Iran
Police shooting of Arab Israeli youth could ignite Israel The police shooting of a young Arab resident of Kafr Kana proves that 14 years after the killing of protesters in the October 2000 riot police still discriminate against Arab citizens and treat them like enemies. Israel
Turks increasingly sympathetic to Islamic State The Islamic State's declaration of a caliphate has generated conflicting views in Turkey. Turkey
