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
Does Iran benefit from Gaza crisis? Iran reconsiders Hamas ties; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fixation on Iran may have distracted him from the threat from Hamas; Asmaa Al-Ghoul reports from Gaza; the Islamic State offers no support for Hamas. Qatar
Gaza's Eid celebrations turn to sadness The joyous occasion of Eid al-Fitr turned into a nightmare in the Gaza Strip, which faced the fiercest Israeli assault since the current war began on July 8. Palestine
Botox on the rise among Iranian men Iran’s Ministry of Health has announced that over the past year there has been a 20% increase in rejuvenation procedures received by Iranian men. Iran
Obama cabinet briefs Congress on Syria, as UK participation looks in doubt Senior Obama administration national security officials will brief lawmakers on the chemical weapons attack in an unclassified phone call. Syria
Will Erdogan's presidency firm up Turkey's regional position? Turkey is suffering serious blows to its security and economy because of its own regional policy mistakes, and can expect more of the same from Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as president. Turkey
Kerry: World 'watching to see if Syria can get away with it' President Obama has said that he is consulting lawmakers over military options in Syria and that the US will only take limited military action that will not involve boots on the ground. Syria
Independent media fades in Iraqi Kurdistan The proliferation of independent media organizations in Iraqi Kurdistan in the early 2000s is reversing as political parties invest heavily in media outlets while intimidating independent journalists. Iraq
Obama tasks Congress with Syria vote: 'We should have this debate' Obama has decided to seek congressional approval for limited airstrikes on Syria to punish and deter the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. Syria
Iraqi volunteers ill-prepared to fight IS Volunteer fighters are signing up en masse to join the "righteous jihad" against the Islamic State in the name of nationalism and economic opportunity. Iraq
Bereaved Israeli, Palestinian families call to stop war Ben Kfir, who lost his daughter in a 2003 terror attack, recounts to Al-Monitor his efforts at explaining to Israelis that only a diplomatic agreement will end the violence: “The infrastructure of terrorism is poverty, ignorance, despair and hopelessness.” Palestine
Iran's Rouhani wishes Jews blessed Rosh Hashanah In a shift in tone from previous Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, newly elected President Hassan Rouhani wished the Jewish people a happy Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Israel
Iran's Rosh Hashana Twitter diplomacy stirs amazement, disbelief Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif tweeted Rosh Hashanah greetings in an unexpected change in tone from Tehran. Israel
