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
Turkey Prefers Stalemate With Israel David Ignatius of The Washington Post reported on Oct. 16 that Turkey leaked to Iran the identities of 10 Iranians working for the Mossad. Turkey
Israeli Arabs Campaign For Municipal Elections With municipal elections scheduled for Oct. 22, Israeli Arabs are engaged in fierce local political battles throughout the country, in contrast to their indifference toward national politics. Israel
Iranians Look for ChangeIn US Policies Iranians express mixed reactions to developments in US-Iran relations. Iran
Saudi Women’s Slow Drive to Reform The attention given to the demands of Saudi women to drive may miss the bigger picture of reform in the kingdom. Saudi Arabia
US 'Strategic Retreat' In MideastPuzzles China China wonders why the United States is squandering so much capital with such little return. Israel
Syria Crisis Sidelines Iraq While the world focuses on Syria, Iraq endures daily carnage and a security situation that is spiraling out of control. Iraq
Iran’s Zarif on Nuclear Proposal: Secrecy Is Sign of Seriousness Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismisses reports about the contents of Iran’s latest nuclear proposal. Iran
Saudi Arabia Deepens Its Isolation The kingdom’s rejection of UN Security Council seat does not convey more proactive foreign policy. Legacy: Gulf
Israel Subsidizes High-Tech Firms, With Mixed Results Intel Israel received outstanding grants from the state but has not generated the much-awaited change in the socioeconomic structure of nearby towns, nor a revolution in their education systems. Israel
Who's Out to Get Turkey’s Spymaster? The pressure on Turkish Intelligence head Hakan Fidan may be a sign of concern over a shift in Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s policies toward Syria and Iran. Israel
Yemen Plagued by Assassinations Yemen has witnessed a recent increase in assassinations, including some carried out by terrorist groups and others with political motivations. Yemen
Jihadist Websites Linked to Syria Thriving on Internet The rise of Islamist groups in Syria’s civil war has shed light on the proliferation of extremist ideologies and communication via discrete Internet networks. Iraq
