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
A three-part plan for US-Egypt ties A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee offers a blueprint for rebuilding the US-Egyptian relationship after the election of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Egypt
Israelis ask whether Obama has given up on Iraq The crisis in Iraq has only sharpened the perception by Israelis that Barack Obama is now willing to act with resolve in the Middle East. Palestine
Turkey's Greens protest Erdogan's airport plans The world's biggest airport is planned for Istanbul and will come at an ecological cost. Turkey
Saudis debate Salafism and democracy The recent growth of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) has led to an extensive debate among Islamist groups in Saudi Arabia over the relationship between Salafism and governance. Saudi Arabia
Israeli minister estimates new opposition grouping in fall In an interview with Al-Monitor, Israeli Environmental Protection Minister Amir Peretz foresees possible changes in the makeup of the government in October or November, and emphasizes the important role of Hatnua Chairwoman Tzipi Livni in preventing a premature collapse of the diplomatic negotiations. Israel
Khatib blames regional countries for prolonging Syria war Former Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib says he's open to negotiations with both the Syrian and Iranian governments as a matter of "principle" to help end the bloodshed in Syria. Iraq
Bassiouni: Bahrain's progress limited by 'piecemeal' approach to reforms In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, International human rights lawyer Cherif Bassiouni, who headed the Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry in 2011, says Bahrain needs to address the core socioeconomic problems that are fueling continued unrest. Bahrain
Israel's settlement tourism Following a vast campaign designed to rebrand the West Bank settlements as tourist attractions with guided tours to biblical sites, and to open it up to the Israeli mainstream, the region has become popular with tourists from Israel and overseas. Palestine
Khamenei rep blames Saudi Arabia, Qatar for Iraq insurgents In a rare moment of directness, a representative of Iran’s supreme leader has directly named Saudi Arabia and Qatar as the cause of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham’s surge in Iraq. Saudi Arabia
Israel's big fat ultra-Orthodox wedding While the Knesset was electing a president, tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews were gathered nearby to celebrate the wedding of the Belzer rebbe’s granddaughter, two events so close physically, yet socially and ideologically miles apart. Israel
Barghouti says Israel must end 'profitable occupation' In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, veteran Palestinian politician Mustafa Barghouti, who played a key role in negotiating the latest reconciliation deal, provides new details on the unity negotiations and what comes next. Palestine
Palestinian activists reject Israel force-feeding prisoners In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Palestinian hunger striker Samer Issawi condemns the Israeli bill allowing force-feeding of prisoners on hunger strikes, stressing that such strikes, as the one taking place now, are the prisoners' only option to protest illegal detention. Israel
