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
Iran shifts to higher-risk strategy as Trump bears down on pressure campaign After exercising "strategic patience" for a year, Iran has shifted its strategy to one of calibrated escalation on the nuclear, regional and diplomatic fronts to try to secure economic relief, deter US adventurism and better position itself for possible future talks. United States
Bahrain conference showcases Israeli ties with Gulf states A significant cornerstone on the way to overt normalization between Israel and the pragmatic Sunni states was laid this week in Bahrain at the US-led economic workshop. Saudi Arabia
Opposition aims to curb Erdogan’s powers after election rout The government’s debacle in local polls in Istanbul and most of Turkey’s other big cities has set the stage for a new power struggle in which the opposition appears bent on trimming Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s powers. The president, in turn, seeks to debilitate the newly elected opposition mayors. Turkey
Israel still pitching economics, not politics, to Palestinians An Israeli politician has an economic development plan that he says is compatible with the one proposed by the United States, which the Palestinian Authority has already rejected. Palestine
Egypt reacts to Erdogan's murder charge with boycott Egyptians have called for a boycott campaign of Turkish products after the Turkish president accused the Egyptian regime of killing former President Mohammed Morsi. Egypt
Support pours in to save Israeli NGO Physicians for Human Rights Despite the Israeli right's efforts to rein in human rights and anti-occupation groups, the Israeli public gave Physicians for Human Rights twice what it asked for in a last-ditch crowdfunding campaign. Palestine
In Netanyahu's quest for survival, all options on the table Losing the elections in September would likely spell the end of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political career and possibly his personal freedom, which is driving him to make every effort to cancel the vote. Israel
Iran stops stamping passports To alleviate concerns that a visit to Iran might complicate foreigners being able to enter the United States at a later date, Iran reiterated that it will allow tourists to enter the country through its international airports without having their passports stamped. United States
Erdogan confident he can sway Trump to skip sanctions The two presidents will meet at the G-20 summit to discuss a standoff over Turkey’s purchase of a Russian antiaircraft system that obliges the US government to introduce punishing economic sanctions on its NATO partner. Turkey
IRGC downplays risk of military conflict as Iran-US tensions flare The commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claim to see no potential for war with the United States. Iran
Intel: How terror attacks, sick president could impact Tunisia’s upcoming elections A pair of suicide bombers struck the Tunisian capital today, coming amid news that Tunisia’s 92-year-old President Beji Caid Essebsi was rushed to the hospital. Tunisia
Is Qatar still Turkey’s foul-weather friend? Qatar’s friendship is being called into question in Turkey amid disappointment over Doha’s pledges of economic support and signs that Qatari investors are pulling out of the country. Qatar
