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
The Return of the Jordan Option For Palestine Geoffrey Aronson writes on the emergence in Jordan of the view that Palestine is Jordan. Jordan
Human Rights Watch Slams Iraqi Government for Hawija The Iraqi government is being held accountable for the attack on demonstrators in Hawija on April 23 that resulted in 50 deaths, writes Mushreq Abbas. Iraq
Inflation Takes Its Toll on Iran Iran's lower and middle-income classes have been the main losers in the country’s inflationary environment, writes Bijan Khajehpour. Iran
Egyptian Prisoners Languish In Israeli Jails Egyptian prisoners in Israeli jails are launching a hunger strike, in the hope that Cairo starts taking interest in their plight, writes Shlomi Eldar. Egypt
Iraqi Kurdistan Real Estate Market Makes a Comeback Progress made in the political dispute between Baghdad and Erbil has reflected positively on the economic situation in the Kurdistan Region, writes Abdel Hamid Zebari. Iraq
Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound UnrestThreatens Israel-Jordan Diplomacy Jordan has decided to withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv, and its parliament has voted unanimously to expel the Israeli ambassador in reaction to the latest Israeli incursion into Al-Aqsa mosque, reports Daoud Kuttab. Palestine
Hezbollah’s Opponents Filling Power Vacuum With Lebanon waiting for the prime minister-designate to form a government and Hezbollah engaged in the Syrian civil war, Beirut's political factions are maneuvering for position, writes Elie Hajj. Lebanon
Kerry Breaks the Ice in Moscow; Russia Sticks to 'Principle' on Syria US Secretary of State John Kerry's visit to Moscow came in a context of genuine good will, although the US and Russia still differ on the sequencing for a transition in Syria, writes Fyodor Lukyanov. Syria
Palestinian Groups in Gaza Condemn Israeli Strikes on Syria Palestinian factions in Gaza urge Arab states to prevent Israel from taking advantage of the Syrian crisis, reports Mohammed Suliman. Palestine
How the Arab League Can Help Israel, Palestine Negotiate Nassif Hitti writes on the John Kerry–Arab League meeting and how to resume negotiations for a peaceful Israeli-Palestinian resolution. Palestine
Jordan, Iran Agree on Need For Political Solution in Syria Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi made a rare visit to Jordan, which showed some shared interest in a peaceful transition in Syria, writes Osama Al Sharif from Jordan. Jordan
West Bank Student Elections Reveal Hamas’ Influence While university student council elections in the West Bank were purely “theoretical” elections, they revealed the influence of Islamist factions among youth, writes Dalal Bajes. Palestine
