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
Iran remembers US downing of passenger plane On the anniversary of the downing of Iran’s Flight 655 by the United States, Iran still mourns the act of violence that played a major role in US-Iran hostility. Iraq
Palestinian unity may not survive fallout from Israeli youth murders Both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas leaders are warning the reconciliation deal might collapse, as pressure from Israel mounts after the death of three Israeli teen settlers. Palestine
Hebron branch of rogue Hamas wing has dark history The abduction and killing of the three Israeli students is not the first terrorist incident associated with the Hebron-based group. Palestine
ISIS should be catalyst for new Middle East alliance The author, who served as a minister in several Israeli governments and as a brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces, makes the case for an Israel-Saudi Arabia-Egypt alliance, anchored in an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Saudi Arabia
Netanyahu silent on right-wing calls to avenge youths Unlike former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who called for restraint after the Dolphinarium terror attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not silenced his far-right ministers who are calling to avenge the murder of the three youths. Palestine
Turkish judiciary bulwark against authoritarian tilt The Turkish judiciary emerges as a block on a trend toward more centralized power by Prime Minister Erdogan. Turkey
Erdogan’s path of 'illiberal democracy' To understand where Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is taking Turkey, look to Latin America. Turkey
Netanyahu's 'diplomatic solution' another dead end Denying the occupation to be the cause of the triple kidnapping-murder, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blames the dismantling of the Sykes-Picot Middle East and suggests more self-imposed isolation. Palestine
Iraq's Assyrian Christians fear ISIS threat to heritage Assyrian Christian community leaders tell Al-Monitor that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has not yet destroyed ancient Assyrian and Christian artifacts in Mosul. Iraq
Did Shiite fatwa save Baghdad from 'Islamic State'? Iraqi Shiites have rallied to defend the capital from the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), with few visible signs of Iranian fighters. Iraq
Hamas, Islamic Jihad warn Israel about retaliation in Gaza Leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad are expressing confidence in the event of an all-out Israeli attack, while also exercising restraint to prevent a military escalation. Palestine
Can Israel deter Hamas? Past experience should teach Israel that the most efficient deterrent against Hamas terror is to threaten its hegemony in the Gaza strip — and point out that this time around, no Arab country will come to its rescue. Palestine
![Sparrows sit on crosses at St. Matthew's monastery on Mount Maqloub, northeast of Mosul in Northern Iraq, some 400 km northwest of Baghdad January 7, 2004. [The Assyrian Orthodox Christmas is celebrated today with reference to the Julian calendar, which has a difference of two weeks to the Gregorian calendar.] - RTXMDTW](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2014/07/RTXMDTW.jpg/RTXMDTW.jpg?h=c2c5b897&itok=ZmuHqKvk)
