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 Labor Party Pushes For Two-State Solution Labor Knesset Member Hilik Bar claims that the two-state solution has support among Israelis and the Knesset, but not inside the government, where the prime minister is “trapped in his party.” Palestine
Aleppo Starves Under Siege A firsthand account of the devastating rebel siege of Aleppo that is depriving 2 million residents of basic supplies. Syria
Egypt Question Takes Priority in Arab Politics Egypt is taking the place of Syria on the front burner of regional politics as the world waits to see how the Muslim Brotherhood and its allies will react to the president's ouster. Egypt
Hamas Faces Financial Crisis After Egypt Tunnel Closures Hamas is struggling to pay the salaries of government employees as revenues from smuggling tunnels have drastically dropped due to closures by Egypt. Palestine
Turkey, Lonely Man Of the Middle East Turkish foreign policy is in endemic crisis because of the Islamist and sectarian foreign policies of the AKP government. Turkey
Israel's Republican Ambassador To Washington? Ron Dermer's appointment as Israel's next ambassador to Washington may be sending a signal to the Obama administration. Israel
Obama Administration Should Clarify Syria Policy The US objective should be to convene the Geneva Conference on Syria as soon as possible, not to provide an open-ended commitment to the Syrian rebels. Syria
Turkey’s Gezi Park Protesters Regroup for Ramadan Gezi Park protesters challenge the “religion card” of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by hosting street iftars to break the Ramadan fast. Turkey
Iran’s Mixed Feelings About Egypt The coup against former President Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood leads to questions about Iran-Hamas ties. Egypt
Rouhani Stresses Regionalism In Iranian Foreign Policy Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani will consider improved ties with Iran’s neighbors as a priority in his foreign policy. Iran
Encouraged by Rouhani Election, US Urges Iran to Engage With the election of Hassan Rouhani, the United States is cautiously optimistic about serious negotiations with Iran when nuclear talks resume in the fall, says a senior US administration official. Iran
US Should Not Cut Aid to Egypt’s Military US military aid can sustain American leverage and assist Egypt’s democratic transition. Saudi Arabia
