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
Israeli Colleges Cut Funding for Humanities The Hebrew University, for generations the breeding ground of Jewish thinkers, is cutting dozens of faculty positions in the humanities, succumbing to the powerful forces of the market. Israel
Iran Frees Political Prisoners Before Rouhani Comes to UN Beyond a public-relations gesture in advance of President Hassan Rouhani’s US trip, the release of political prisoners could ease the divisions in Iran following the disputed 2009 presidential elections. Iran
The Hezbollah Question in Lebanon As developments in Syria and elsewhere around the region continue, a look at the role Hezbollah plays in Lebanon is more pertinent than ever. Lebanon
Delay in Forming New Lebanon Government a Record Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam is still unable to form a new government, leading to even greater uncertainty. Lebanon
Davutoglu: Shooting Down of Helicopter 'Punishment' for Syria Turkey’s frustration with the Damascus regime going unpunished, even for using chemical weapons, played a major role in shooting down a Syrian helicopter. Syria
Turkey Should Shut Down Jihadists on Border Turkey's shooting down of a Syrian helicopter that violated its airspace on Sept. 16 should provoke a clampdown on all border activity. Syria
Israeli NGOs Demand Greater Role For Women in National Security Israeli women’s organizations have formulated an action plan to implement UN Resolution 1325, which calls for increasing the representation of women in security and diplomatic deliberations. Israel
Egypt-Sudan Ties Deteriorate Over Nile Sudan is shifting its position closer to the other upstream Nile states as ties with Egypt's new military leaders grow weaker. Egypt
Iraqi Vice President Launches Consensus Initiative Iraq’s political quagmire, exacerbated by increasing sectarian violence, may yet be overcome with the help of the vice president’s consensus initiative. Iraq
AIPAC, J Street And the 'Dual Loyalty' Question The pro-Israel organization J Street, AIPAC's liberal rival, must confront its dual loyalty dilemma, which will be tested once Jerusalem's division is put on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiating table. Israel
Hamas Shuts Down Egypt Center in Gaza The closing of the center reflects a further deterioration in Hamas-Egypt ties. Palestine
Iraq to Raise Bank Capital To Address Housing Crisis Iraq plans to increase the capital in the country’s two government banks from $23 million to about $360 million to address the growing housing crisis. Iraq
