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
Hamas Tightens Ban On Travel From Gaza Hamas' ban on travel from Gaza to the West Bank for two human rights workers shows Israel isn't the only one restricting Palestinians' movement. Palestine
Israel Was Right to Publish Al-Durrah Report A response to Shlomi Eldar’s article about the irrelevance of the Israeli Commission of Inquiry investigating the circumstances of Muhammad al-Durrah’s death. Palestine
As Assad’s Forces Take Control Of Qusair, What Comes Next? Now that the Syrian regime’s forces control half of the city of Qusair near Lebanon’s northern border, the balance seems to once again be shifting in the Syrian conflict. Israel
Erdogan Paints Himself Into Corner over Gaza After his meeting with US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan cannot seem to win on Gaza. Palestine
Iraqi Kurds Call For TurkeyTo Release Ocalan Iraqi Kurds have launched a petition campaign calling on Turkey for the release of imprisoned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan. Iraq
Islamist Threat Constrains Jordan's Syria Policy Jordan has been successful in persuading the Obama administration to pay attention to the Islamist threat in Syria. Jordan
Sectarian Violence Erupts Again Across Iraq Renewed sectarian violence this week is setting back Iraqi efforts toward national reconciliation. Iraq
Where Does Erdogan Stand on Syria? After meeting with US President Barack Obama, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan says his views on the Geneva process have changed and evolved. Syria
Border Arrests Reveal Disunity, Conflict Among Syrian Kurds The Democratic Union Party's security forces have arrested 70 members of a rival Kurdish party trying to enter Syria from Iraq. Iraq
Iran Induces Internet 'Coma' Ahead of Elections As Iran's June 14 presidential elections near, Internet users are turning to virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass censors, accepting the risks that come with them. Iran
In Gaza, Women Struggle For Economic Role Despite high literacy and education rates among Palestinian women in Gaza, only one in ten can find employment. Palestine
Diplomacy Over Military Action: The Path to Peace in Syria The United States should engage regional powers on a diplomatic solution and not arm the rebels or establish a no-fly zone. Syria
