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 US airstrikes are affecting Moscow's Syria policy A central goal of Russia's Syria policy is to relegitimize the Syrian regime in the eyes of the United States and its allies in the region, and oblige them to recognize it as an ally in the fight against extremism. Syria
Kobani is becoming Turkey's war Turks are fighting on both sides of the Islamic State-YPG battle for Kobani, but increasing numbers of Kurdish fighters, including women, are coming from Turkey to join the battle. Syria
Questions arise over Egypt's proposed Nile shipping lane Egyptian experts say a project to add a navigation lane to the Nile River, linking Lake Victoria and the Mediterranean Sea, is almost impossible to achieve. Egypt
Gaza civil servants' salaries remain unpaid The Palestinian national reconciliation government is suffering from a deficit that poses a challenge to the payment of the salaries of Gaza's government workers. Palestine
Turkish home sales to foreigners on the rise Foreigners bought 1,774 homes in Turkey in August, a twofold increase from the same period last year, with Britons, Russians and Germans topping the list of buyers. Turkey
Iran op-ed asks Soleimani to defend Kobani A conservative Iranian news site has published an op-ed asking Quds Force leader Qasem Soleimani to defend the Kurds of Kobani as Iranians in various cities protest to show support. Syria
Former US diplomat fosters US-Iran ties behind the scenes William Luers has spent years pursuing a quiet “track 2” dialogue bringing American and Iranian officials and scholars together, some of whom have close ties to officials in the Rouhani administration. Iran
Netanyahu's rejectionist policies forced Abbas' hand The current Israeli government does not want peace if the price is the evacuation of even a few settlements. Palestine
No exit for Iraq without decentralization Iraq’s failure to abide by its constitution, which stipulates federalism with greater powers for provinces, is part of the reason why it is in turmoil today. Iraq
Syrian regime ignores supporters' rising anger Anger among pro-government supporters spilled into protests in Homs last week after two deadly suicide bombings, but the Syrian government remains indifferent to their complaints. Syria
Jihadists target Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon’s Bekaa Gunmen from the Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra have exploited Eid al-Adha to attack Hezbollah in a new location in the center of Lebanon’s border with Syria. Lebanon
Israel's war with the US As Israel-US ties continue to deteriorate, Israel is dealing with two other fronts: the Lebanese border where an explosive device just wounded two soldiers, and the mysterious explosion at the Parchin nuclear plant in Iran. Israel
