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
Rights advocates question Egypt’s decision to extend state of emergency Critics of the Egyptian government fear that a three-month extension of the state of emergency will be used to crack down on them. Egypt
Iran draws line in the sand in Syrian desert Iran stakes claim in eastern Syria; Saudi move against Hamas; Qatar risks confrontation in the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia
Kushner's first foray into Mideast peace reveals challenges ahead Palestinians accuse the US negotiating team that met with President Mahmoud Abbas June 22 of taking Israel's side, by not discussing the two-state solution or Israeli settlement activities. Palestine
Egypt's economists praise decision to lift caps on money transfers The Central Bank of Egypt is hoping to stabilize the country’s economy with its decision to lift caps on foreign exchange transfers. Egypt
For Turkey's youngest Jews, ancestral tongue fading away Turkey’s Sephardic Jewish community has mobilized efforts to save the Ladino language from extinction, but after decades of repression, the swell of interest in their heritage language sounds more like a swan song. Countries
The Turkish economy's mysterious rebound The Turkish economy's surprise 5% growth rate in the first quarter has stirred controversy, fueled mostly by a new calculation method adopted last year. Turkey
Expensive deposits leave Iranian banks stuck with toxic assets A review of interest rates for bank deposits in Iran shows widespread violations of the interest rate ceiling ordered by the Central Bank of Iran. Iran
Iraq outlines plans to rebuild country, inspire tolerance Iraqi officials say they are ready to reconstruct the country and heal the populace devastated by the Islamic State. Iraq
Israel wields influence to block foreign funding to Palestinian NGOs Apparently at Israel's request, some Palestinian nongovernmental organizations are losing their financial support from abroad over allegations of their links to terrorism. Palestine
Gaza’s power crisis cripples farmers The repercussions of the power crisis hitting the Gaza Strip, receiving less than four hours of daily supply, are now reflected in the agricultural sector and threatening food security in Gaza. Palestine
Palestinians despair as Israel breaks ground on new settlement Despite UN Security Council Resolution 2334 and US President Donald Trump's efforts to resume the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Israel has approved plans to develop its first new settlement area in 25 years. Palestine
Palestinians wary of talk Gaza may be declared 'rebel district' The poor living conditions and security situation of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip could further deteriorate if Palesinian President Mahmoud Abbas declares Gaza a "rebel district." Palestine
