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
Could a PM Davutoglu repair Turkey's foreign policy? Turkey’s once overambitious foreign minister is the most likely candidate to take over the AKP leadership and become prime minister, but few expect major changes in Ankara’s foreign policy orientation. Turkey
Turkish-German relations strained following spying revelations Revelations about Germany spying on Turkey have heightened tensions between the two NATO allies. Turkey
Israel lost on all fronts of the Gaza war Not only did Israel lose its deterrence edge against Hamas, it also severely exposed its frayed ties with the US and the international community and faces a more comprehensive European boycott of settlement products. Palestine
The collapse of Maliki’s party Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has failed to keep his party and coalition together, through his nondemocratic approaches, while the new Prime Minister-designate Haider al-Abadi vowed to preserve the national consensus. Iraq
Lapid tries to become a statesman The Gaza war tampered with Finance Minister Yair Lapid's plan to pass a bill on housing prices, but did not delay his initiative for a regional conference. Israel
Erdogan, not religion, divides Turkey Turkey’s political scene is not divided on ideology anymore, but between pro- and anti-Erdogan camps. Turkey
Rafah crossing used as a bargaining chip in Gaza crisis The economic and humanitarian interests of the people of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula are relegated to the political game that will determine whether the Rafah crossing is reopened or not. Palestine
The Islamic State's social media strategy The Islamic State is using social and other media to recruit followers and scare its enemies into submission. Iraq
Stuck in the '90s: Israel’s peace camp is losing public interest After weeks of rocket fire, the Israeli public, including many in the left, feel that the peace camp has no adequate proposals and can offer no updated paradigm for a diplomatic solution. Palestine
Gaza cease-fire talks hit snag over sea, air ports Egypt has proposed that discussions of sea and air ports for Gaza be postponed until September, a move that is unlikely to receive a warm response from Hamas. Palestine
Could Maliki's departure spur Lebanon’s presidential election? Many Lebanese are looking for signs that the departure of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Iraq will lead to progress in Lebanon's presidential race, but diplomatic sources are quick to downplay any such hopes. Saudi Arabia
Turkish left’s most pressing problem: the Kurds An intraparty conflict has become inevitable in Turkey’s center-left opposition as the amnesia-stricken Republican People's Party refuses to discuss the actual reasons behind its failure in the wake of another election defeat. Turkey
