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
Iraq seeks to issue identification papers for IS children Many children born under Islamic State rule in Iraq do not have Iraqi citizenship, but the government is seeking to change that. Iraq
Israel’s Likud campaigns to attract Russian-speaking voters The Likud party launched a campaign designed to attract Israeli-Russian voters and "steal" them from the Israeli-Russian party, Yisrael Beitenu. Israel
Palestinian police on red alert over antiquities smuggling Palestinian police say the Israeli-controlled Area C is their weak spot in the battle against antiquities smuggling. Palestine
Pro-state think tank targets foreign media in Turkey A pro-state think tank accused foreign news services of “bias,” raising fears of a renewed wave of media repression in the country. Turkey
Iran raises nuclear enrichment to 4.5% Iran officially announced it has taken its second step in reducing nuclear commitments and warned that unless the others fulfill their side of the nuclear deal, Iran would take the third step as well. United States
Where will the S-400s be deployed? Russian-made S-400 batteries are expected to arrive in Turkey before the end of July and be deployed in Ankara. Turkey
Pleasantries aside, can Trump deliver what Erdogan wants? Turkey expects President Donald Trump to help it avoid US sanctions over the S-400 affair, but many in Turkey question whether Trump has that power. Turkey
New Israeli pipeline makes its way to Gaza An Israeli water company has started working on extending a water pipeline from Israel to Gaza with Qatari funding. Palestine
Why is the Jordan Valley so important to Israel? Palestinians in the Jordan Valley face daily incursions and land grabs by the Israeli army and settlers, actions that aim to reinforce Israel's policy of maintaining control over the valley at any cost. Palestine
Israel bans Palestinian dairy, meat exports to East Jerusalem Israel has decided to ban Palestinian dairy and meat exports to East Jerusalem, which if the decision actually enters into force would result in the Palestinian government banning a number of Israeli firms from exporting their goods to the Palestinian territories. Palestine
Israelis lose trust in police over killing of youngster The killing of young Solomon Tekah opened a Pandora’s box, disclosing dozens of horrible stories of racism, beatings and false arrests directed at the Ethiopian community. Israel
Israel’s chief of staff revealing his political preferences The decision by IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi to promote Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter reflects his future political aspirations. Israel
