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
Airport rehabilitation project raising eyebrows in Egypt Egypt has already opened two new airports this year, which has people wondering if spending $62.4 million to renovate one in a remote desert area is necessary. Egypt
Will Lebanese wait hours in gas lines as fuel crisis bites? Lebanese citizens are living day by day the repercussions of the dollar scarcity crisis, as the fuel sector threatens an open strike next week if the government fails to find a proper solution. Lebanon
Kuwait asks Saudi Arabia to release Palestinian detainees Kuwait is negotiating to secure the release of dozens of Hamas members who have spent months in Saudi Arabian prisons with no explanation provided. Saudi Arabia
The shows go on amid tensions this festival season in Lebanon Music, art, and religious festivals, large and small, have become summertime staples in Lebanon, providing entertainment and generating tourist dollars. Lebanon
Interview Oman minister describes role as 'facilitator' of diplomacy in turbulent region In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, Oman’s minister responsible for foreign affairs, describes his country's role as facilitator, not mediator, to resolve the region's conflicts, including Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Yemen, and the embargo of Qatar. Yusuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah Minister of Foreign Affairs of Oman
Intel: Why Israel’s president chose Netanyahu to form new government A week after Israel’s legislative elections, President Reuven Rivlin has chosen Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make a first attempt at forming a government, but a path to a majority coalition remains difficult. Israel
US and world powers continue to talk past each other on Iran at UN While the remaining parties to the nuclear deal tried to restart diplomacy with Iran, the United States punished one of them for links to Tehran. United States
Has Netanyahu’s succession war already started? Senior Likud members are terrified of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and won’t launch a succession war, but there are incidents that indicate some of them are testing the waters. Palestine
Israel, Hamas work quietly together on development projects for Gaza Though they pretend not to be communicating, top Israeli and Hamas officials are working together via Egypt and other channels to advance development plans for the Gaza Strip. Palestine
Would Israel limit use of plastic disposable tableware? Israel's Finance Ministry is considering taxation of disposable dishes and tableware to curb the enormous use of plastic in the country. Israel
Iran's hard-liners tell Rouhani to seek solutions at home, not in New York The Iranian president has drawn the ire of his uncompromising domestic critics after sitting down with Western leaders in New York. United States
Erdogan pushes Syrian safe zone at UN As many as three million refugees could be settled in northeast Syria if Turkey establishes a buffer zone along its border, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told world leaders at the United Nations summit, though a meeting to persuade US President Donald Trump did not materialize. Syria
