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
Brotherhood's Bayoumi: Egypt 'Will Not Turn Its Back' on US In an interview, Deputy Supreme Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood Rashad al-Bayoumi addressed Egyptian-US relations, Egypt's economy and President Morsi's position on the Syrian crisis. Egypt
Israel, China and the Arab Initiative For how long will China continue its “business as usual” policy with Israel if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu keeps squandering the Arab Peace Initiative? Israel
Lebanon Army Prohibits Nakba Demonstration in Maroun al-Ras To avoid a repeat of last year, when Palestinian demonstrators breached the Israeli border fence, the Lebanese army has prohibited Palestinian demonstrators from going to Maroun al-Ras to commemorate Nabka Day. Palestine
Algerian Ministry of Religious Affairs Warns Against Extremism The Algerian Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments has warned against the growth of religious extremism in the country, including takfiri Salafism. Culture & Society
Turnout Weak for Nakba Day in Gaza The Gaza Strip's Nakba Day rally suffered low attendance this year as disenchanted youths turned to social media to express their frustration. Palestine
Iraqi Judiciary Opens Hawija Investigation Nearly a month after the deadly attacks on protesters by internal security forces in the town of Hawija, Iraq’s judiciary investigates the events and the people involved. Iraq
Iraqi Politics Needs a Roadmap For the Future Following Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani’s visit to Baghdad at the end of April, Iraq’s political class still has many challenges. Iraq
Women's Prison in Gaza Swells With 'Moral' Criminals Many of the increasingly numerous prisoners in Gaza's only all-female jail have been convicted of "moral" crimes. Palestine
High-Profile Gaza Visitors Leave Hollow Mark Leaders from the Islamic world have begun making their way to Gaza, but their visits do little to advance the Palestinian cause. Palestine
Palestine and Syria Vie For Center Stage in Region Does the media’s preoccupation with Israeli-Palestinian negotiations overshadow developments in Syria? Palestine
Journalists Slam Hamas Crackdown On PFLP Protest Hamas police officers violently dispersed a PFLP protest against the Israeli strike on Syria last week, targeting journalists covering the rally. Palestine
Rise of Radical Jihadists Setback for Syria US military intervention would not have prevented, and will not prevent, radical jihadism in Syria. Lebanon
