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
What is Russia's strategy in Idlib? Russia is playing the long game with Turkey in the battle for the Syrian provence of Idlib. Syria
New Diyarbakir mayor backs opposition candidate in Istanbul election rerun The new HDP mayor of Diyarbakir calls for a Kurdish vote against the AKP in Istanbul's mayoral election rerun and says his AKP predecessor has left Diyarbakir in the poorhouse. Turkey
Could retired Maj. Gen. Golan save Israel’s Labor Party? Former Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan is a breath of fresh air in Israeli politics, bringing a clear worldview and showing no interest in ingratiating himself with the soft right in order to win a few more votes. Israel
Does Israel’s Blue and White party need to change leaders? Ahead of the new Sept. 17 elections, the Blue and White party must decide which leadership configuration is most likely to bring victory. Israel
Iran’s hard-liners take aim at conservative former judiciary chief Under fire from hard-line foes, Expediency Council chairman Sadegh Amoli Larijani appears to be gearing further to the right — but such maneuvering appears bound to fail. Iran
Iranian public outrage forces 'correction' of kindergarten directive Amid widespread public outrage, Iranian authorities had to revise an official order that sought to ban religious minorities from teaching at government-run kindergartens. Iran
Syria's territorial divisions complicate reconstruction Russia's efforts toward the reconstruction of Syria are hindered by the inherent challenges in the territorial fragmentation of the country. Syria
Iraq electricity minister: US will continue exemptions for Iranian electricity imports Iraqi Minister of Electricity Luay al-Khatteeb told Al-Monitor that US exemptions in the energy sector will continue amid tensions in US-Iran relations. Saudi Arabia
What Israel would look like if more students learned Arabic Israel is situated in the heart of the Arab world, yet it fails to encourage the study of Arabic, except in a military context. Israel
Trump, Pompeo give new priority to diplomacy with Iran While many see a shift in tone rather than substance, the diplomatic channel seems to be heating up. United States
Interview Sen. Van Hollen challenges Trump's bypass of Congress on Saudi Arabia, Iran In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen describes efforts to curtail the Trump administration’s Gulf policies. Chris Van Hollen US Senator from Maryland
Why Turkey is closing down Syrian refugee camps The Turkish government has been systematically closing down Syrian refugee camps, citing high costs and integration problems, but are those the real reasons? Syria
