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
Amid regional instability, Turkey focuses on domestic agenda Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Justice and Development Party are engrossed in the transition to a presidential system, but unrelenting developments in the Middle East will leave Ankara facing major regional problems. Syria
Southern Israeli city of Sderot is tired of cease-fires Fourteen years of rockets have bred hard feelings in the southern Israeli city of Sderot — which range from despair to utter despair — with residents actually hoping for a continuation of the battles, and frustration over the fact that the IDF did not conquer the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Clinton Middle East advisor may join State team Rob Malley, Former Middle East advisor to President Bill Clinton, may join the State Department Middle East team as a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Originals
Roundup: Hale for Lebanon, Palestinian PM reconsiders resigning; US trained Syria rebels Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah reportedly reconsiders his resignation, President has nominated Mike Hammer, Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs and former NSC spokesman, to be US ambassador to Chile Middle East peace envoy David Hale US Ambassador to Lebanon, and more. Originals
Some urge US to pursue bigger nuclear deal with Iran Former US government officials including former White House and State Department Iran official Dennis Ross have said the US should pursue a comprehensive deal which may recognize Iran's right to enrichment but at the same time be acceptable to the United States. Iran
Homeless Gazans struggle to find shelter Thousands of Gazans have been left homeless following Israeli attacks, with many dispersed across the Strip living in tents, garages, basements and parks. Palestine
Envoy: US 'appalled' by reported killing of priest in Syria US envoy to Syria Robert Ford has condemned the killing of Catholic Priest Father François Mourad and stated that "unprovoked violence against civilians is completely unacceptable" Syria
Obama tells Morsi: US does not favor any Egypt group In a July 1 phone call to Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi, President Obama stressed that democracy is about more than elections and urged Morsi to take steps to show he is responsive to the concerns of protesters. Egypt
White House: US not 'urging' Morsi to hold early elections The White House has stressed that the United States does not favor any particular group in Egypt and that only Egyptians can determine the future. Egypt
Gaza residents return to destroyed homes Al-Monitor’s Asmaa al-Ghoul visits the Gaza Strip border areas that were heavily bombed by Israeli forces, and finds families searching through the ruins of their homes. Originals
Lapid sets up separate communication channel with US While the Israeli prime minister blames the US administration and the IDF for his political failure in the Gaza incursion, US officials prefer to communicate with Finance Minister Yair Lapid or Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. Palestine
How Haider al-Abadi became Iraq's next prime minister Iranian officials helped lay the groundwork for the appointment of Iraq's new prime minister-designate. Iraq
