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
Israel prepares for an international legal assault Israel prepares to face the UN Commission and the private complaints that might be submitted against it in the aftermath of the Gaza incursion, compiling a "defense dossier" with the footage it gathered through the operation days and even testimonies of foreign journalists who covered Gaza. Palestine
Libyan presidential candidate makes campaign stop in DC Officials meeting on the sidelines of an Africa summit in Washington discuss the deteriorating security situation in Libya, while a Libyan businessman networks to run for president back home. Libya
How will the Lebanese military deal with Arsal? The battle in Arsal posed a major challenge to the Lebanese army while the people there waited for a military settlement. Lebanon
First Turkish film to show Armenian genocide wins harsh reception A film by German-Turkish director Fatih Akin on the Armenian genocide is under attack in Turkey even before its release. Turkey
Poor Israelis suffer from war, support it anyway In the Israeli paradox, those suffering from economic insecurity support the parties that promise to stand firm against security threats, while actually contributing to social inequality. Palestine
Multiple journalists killed in Gaza war Al-Resalah newspaper's financial editor, Mohammed Daher, was killed along with most of his family when Israeli forces attacked the Gaza Strip neighborhood of Shajaiya on July 20. Palestine
Najaf takes in Christians displaced by Islamic State The religious authorities in Najaf and Karbala showed their support to displaced minorities, notably Christians from Mosul, and expressed their readiness to offer their help. Iraq
White House: UN needs immediate access to Syria site Obama administration officials have said that if the Syrian Government has "nothing to hide" it should grant UN inspectors immediate access to the suspected chemical attack sites Syria
Rouhani announces new guild for Iran journalists Iran's president has announced plans to open a new guild for journalists, sidestepping the issue of the closure of the previous professional association. Iran
The cult of Erdogan Turkey’s ruling party and its supporters have come to attribute quasi-divine qualities to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, creating a personality cult that reinforces concerns over social peace in Turkey. Turkey
Leftist Knesset member blames Netanyahu for Gaza war “The security situation of Israeli citizens only gets worse from round to round,” says Knesset member Dov Khenin in an interview with Al-Monitor, blaming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who “is responsible for this war in every imaginable way.” Palestine
Must-see TV: Erdogan's new campaign movie To understand the current political psychology among Turkey’s religious conservatives, you must see the new three-minute propaganda film Erdogan’s team launched in preparation for the presidential elections. Turkey
