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
Kurdish journalist gets 14 years in Turkey, others await similar fate Despite flimsy evidence and opaque proceedings, today was a terrible day in court for several Turkish journalists. Turkey
Time has come for Israeli-Arab party to join government Israeli Arab voters came out in drove to the polling stations, as such, the Joint List must be accepted by Blue and White as a natural partner in governing. Israel
How strong is Netanyahu’s alliance with the ultra-Orthodox? The alliance between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties is one of pure interests; both sides must stick to it or risk failure. Israel
Protest by mothers turns up pressure on Turkey's HDP Turkey’s main pro-Kurdish party has found itself under mounting political and social pressure as Ankara tries a new counter-terrorism strategy focusing on severing links between the it and the Kurdistan Workers Party. Turkey
Former diplomat: Iran attacks create opportunity for talks The Donald Trump administration should use the investigation into suspected Iranian attacks on Saudi oil facilities to de-escalate regional tensions, a former top US diplomat said at an Al-Monitor event Sept. 24. Saudi Arabia
Third coalition arises in Iraq to vie for Sunni leadership Former Iraqi Vice President Osama al-Nujaifi has formed a new Sunni coalition in Iraq, but the "alliance" seems to indicate further division in Sunni political ranks. Iraq
Turkey’s Euphrates plans rely on Trump Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is hoping to convince President Donald Trump to accept Turkey's demands about the planned safe zone in northern Syria. Syria
Egyptian judges question motives behind income tax increase Based on a decision recently issued by the Egyptian Ministry of Finance, judges will be paying a higher amount of tax moving forward, and some believe the decision is aimed at punishing the judiciary. Egypt
Meet the rocker whose music revives Turkey's quirky history Taner Ongur's music explores curious incidents from the dusty pages of modern Turkish history. Turkey
SDF, coalition crack down on IS remnants in Syria US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are dismantling Islamic State cells as the terrorist group still has a presence in northern and eastern Syria despite its declared defeat earlier this year. Iraq
US faces uneasy choice between Lebanese Christians and Syrian refugees Lebanese Christians are making a religious case for the Trump administration to back the repatriation of refugees to Syria Lebanon
Congress loosens pressure on Egypt just as new anti-Sisi protests emerge Key senators have abandoned efforts to cut Egyptian military aid just as President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government clamps down on new protests. Egypt
