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
Yemen’s farmers brace for slow pomegranate season Harvest season for pomegranates has kicked off in Saada amid fears of how a Saudi ban on importing the fruit will affect farmers, exporters and markets. Saudi Arabia
Basra church restored, but few Christians left to worship there Basra's Virgin Mary Chaldean Church has reopened after a $228,000 renovation, but the Christians still in the city are dwindling. Iraq
Blue and White champions Israeli sovereignty over Jordan Valley The declarations by Blue and White leader Benny Gantz in favor of perpetuating Israel’s occupation of the Jordan Valley are a cynical ploy to attract right-wing voters, but they erode his support for the two-state solution. Palestine
Israel’s economy victim of election campaign Israeli politicians prefer to ignore the implications of two election campaigns in one year on the market and the state deficit, which could harm the country’s credit rating. Israel
How war-torn Yemen prepares for Eid As Sanaanis prepare for Eid al-Adha, they buy a small pot of henna for girls and a traditional knife for boys; meat and new clothes are beyond the means of most. Yemen
Airport inspection in Israel a nightmare for Israeli-Arabs Instead of apologizing to Ambassador Reda Mansour for humiliating his family, Ben-Gurion International Airport authorities continued to justify their behavior. Israel
Likud seniors cowed by Netanyahu, but for how long? Senior members of Likud are considering various scenarios for the day after the Sept. 17 election while their party leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to try to ensure that he will be the only member the party considers putting forth to form a government. Israel
Syria’s constitutional committee still mired in discord Disputes on decision-making rules and time frames continue to delay the committee’s inauguration a year and a half since Syrian parties agreed on a committee to draft a new constitution, even though discord over its composition has been overcome. Syria
Jordan's Baha'is struggle for basic civil rights Jordan does not recognize the Baha'i faith as a religion, which has created difficulties for adherents in regard to marriage, inheritance and overall civil rights. Jordan
What's next for Russia in Idlib? Following the violation of the cease-fire in Idlib, Russia faces the need to manage the breakout of new hostilities and fix the deal with Turkey. Syria
US warns Turkey on Syria amid last-ditch talks to resolve buffer zone dispute The United States says it will prevent a unilateral incursion into Syria by its NATO ally, but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s patience is running out with protracted talks on removing Kurdish fighters from Turkey’s border region. Syria
Iran's Rouhani eases conditions for talks with Trump Iran's president says sanctions removal alone could initiate a Tehran-Washington dialogue, marking a departure from his earlier position where he strictly demanded the US rejoin the nuclear deal before any negotiation. United States
