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’s Syrian Kurdish Gamble: A Double Edged Sword Turkey’s efforts to contain Syrian Kurdish autonomy while pursuing peace with its own Kurds could backfire. Syria
Turkish Fans Ponder Football Without Freedom The Turkish government fears political dissent will find its way to football games, so one major club takes controversial measures to prevent it. Turkey
US Condemns Jihadist Attacks On Syrian Kurds US follows Russia and Iran in criticizing jihadist attacks on Syrian Kurds. Syria
Rouhani and the Prospects For US-Iran Nuclear Talks Iran's new president will have to balance Iran's domestic politics with its international and regional position in the course of handling nuclear negotiations with the West. Iran
Russia’s Course in Syria Unchanged Al-Monitor’s coverage of US and Russian policies toward Syria; the protests in Egypt; and the return of reformist and Islamic chic in Iran. Egypt
Iran's Ties to Hezbollah Unchanged Although there are expectations of a more moderate approach to foreign affairs under Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Iran's relations with Hezbollah will remain the same. Palestine
Islamist Al-Shabab 2.0 Threatens Somalia Al-Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group al-Shabab is more lethal than ever. The Horn of Africa
Syria Splits Shiite Clergy in Iraq, Iran While Shiite authorities in Iran and Iraq have historically had a close relationship, Iran has been dismayed by Najafi clerics's refusal to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Syria’s civil war. Iraq
Why Egypt Shouldn't Break The Pro-Morsi Sit-Ins Egyptians are divided over whether Cairo's pro-Mohammed Morsi sit-ins should be allowed to continue or be broken up forcefully. Egypt
Turkish Pilots Abducted At Gunpoint in Beirut Two Turkish Airlines pilots were kidnapped in Beirut early Friday, Aug. 9, to put pressure on the Turkish government to help release nine Shiite Lebanese hostages in Syria since May 2012. Lebanon
Israel Prepares for Next War With Hezbollah The Israel Defense Forces is watching with concern as Hezbollah improves its military capabilities in Syria. Israel
