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
Islamist Phase of Arab Awakening Failed The failure of Islamism in power and the key challenges facing the new rulers in Arab societies that saw uprisings and regime changes are now emerging. Lebanon
Despite New Security Measures, Violence Persists in Iraq Although the Iraqi government has developed new plans to address the deteriorating security situation, violence continues to strike throughout the country. Iraq
Palestinians in Gaza Hold Vigils For Slain Egyptians No one is watching the events unfold in Egypt as closely as Palestinians in Gaza, whose future is tied to the crisis that its larger neighbor is going through. Palestine
What to Expect In Iran’s Telecom Sector Iran’s newly appointed minister of communications and information technology signals a chance for change in one of the largest non-oil sectors in the country. Iran
Khamenei’s Controversial Fatwas Iran’s supreme leader employs traditionalist fatwas to establish his political and religious authority. Iraq
The Aftermath of 72 Tumultuous Hours in Cairo Egypt’s January 2011 revolution is beyond restoration. Egypt
The Inevitable Has Happened In Egypt With the latest developments in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood's gradual progression toward power is coming to a halt. Egypt
Nasrallah Threatens to Double Hezbollah Forces in Syria Responding to the Aug. 15. bombing of a Hezbollah neighborhood in Beirut, which killed 22 people, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah threatened to escalate the war with the "takfiris" in Syria. Lebanon
'DanielGate' Sparks Moroccan Political Unrest The Moroccan royal pardon of Spanish pedophile Daniel Galván Vina has had a litany of political implications. Culture & Society
Gulenist-AKP Clash Is Now in the Open A statement by the Journalists and Writers Foundation of the Gulen movement exposes the clash with the ruling Justice and Development Party. Turkey
Rumors of Erdogan’s Health Problems Ring False Despite mounting speculations about his health, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan looks pretty healthy for a man who has been alleged with having colon cancer. Turkey
