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
Islamists Extend Olive Branch To Turkish Atheists Despite the bitter confrontation between Turkey’s Islamists and secularists, there is a welcome sign of the country’s potential for synthesizng Islam and liberal democracy. Turkey
Egypt, Tunisia, Gaza Still Waiting for Democracy Developments in Egypt, Tunisia, Gaza and Ramallah show that elections alone do not make a democracy, just as US President Obama had warned in his 2009 Cairo speech. Palestine
Erdogan’s Sinking International Prestige The more Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashes out at “international conspirators” as the cause of his troubles, the more his international reputation suffers. Turkey
No Separation in Hezbollah Political and Military Wings Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah mocks the EU’s misunderstanding of the inseparable nature of the party’s military and political branches. Lebanon
Egypt’s Crowd Democracy The Egyptian army's chief is playing the populist card by asking Egyptians to turn out in massive demonstrations. Egypt
Hamas Warns Abu Mazen On Peace Talks With Israel The rift is widening between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas after the announcement that talks with Israel may resume. Palestine
Turkey’s Missed Opportunities With the Kurds Disarray in Turkish foreign policy is not allowing Turkey to play its rightful role in supporting Kurdish national unity. Iraq
Gezi Cleansing In Turkish Media Many journalists lost their jobs and suffered from police violence following the shifting of Prime Minister Erdogan’s hard-line reactions to media freedoms. Turkey
Former Favorite Son Dahlan Slams Abu Mazen for Corruption Two recent cases raise questions about the democratic practices of the parties to the peace. Palestine
Livni to Conduct Upcoming Israeli-Palestinian Negotiations With a small party in a right-wing coalition, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni has only two options if she wants to survive: to ensure that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conducts negotiations with the Palestinians in good faith, or to pull out of his government. Palestine
How Will Terror List Decision Affect EU-Hezbollah Ties? The European Union’s decision to add Hezbollah’s military wing to the list of terrorist organizations could compromise key security coordination between the two sides. Lebanon
Child Workers Maintain Gaza's Cemeteries Child workers in Gaza's cemeteries struggle to provide for their impoverished families. Palestine
![A Palestinian boy looks from behind a tombstone at the El Sohada cemetary (martyrs' cemetery) outside Gaza city after the last prayer of Ramadan November 25, 2003. [Palestinians like Muslims all over the world today celebrate the first day of the Muslim's holiday of Eid El-Fitr folowing the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.] - RTXMB3X](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2013/07/Gaza-Cemetary.jpg/Gaza-Cemetary.jpg?h=2d235432&itok=1nE4Z_WF)
