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 could lose Qatar's support amid GCC strife Palestinians are concerned that as a result of the Qatar crisis, the Gulf nation might be forced to reduce its financial commitments to Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip. Saudi Arabia
Egypt's Sisi vows to recover state land from squatters President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has ordered the army and police to put an end to illegal encroachment of state lands across the country. Egypt
Ghouta residents suffer under siege during Ramadan As the regime continues to impose its siege on eastern Ghouta, thousands of trapped residents are making do with the limited supply of food available and depending on NGOs to get them through the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Syria
Syrian regime clears last IS bastion in Aleppo province The Syrian regime is closing in on the Islamic State in Aleppo, while securing a foothold in Raqqa’s outskirts, where US-backed rebels launched their offensive to liberate the city. Syria
Egypt's new NGO law will further shackle civil society Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi promulgated a new law May 29 that regulates the work of NGOs, but local and international human rights activists and groups say the law is repressive and imposes unprecedented draconian restrictions. Egypt
Netanyahu and Abbas on the same page for once Palestinians and Israelis are mulling over a partial settlement construction freeze, a move that would benefit the Palestinian Authority and the Israeli government. Palestine
Egypt takes fight against illegal migration to the airwaves In its latest effort to stem the flow of illegally emigrating young people, the Egyptian government is airing educational ads and programs on the radio. Egypt
Road ahead unclear in aftermath of Tehran attacks After having thwarted numerous plots to strike Iran, the country has finally been hit by its first Islamic State attack; the question now is what Iran may do next. Saudi Arabia
Iran says IS attackers fought in Syria and Iraq Iranian authorities linked the Islamic State attackers to a larger cell whose leader was killed by security forces last year. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's 'American Idol' of Quran recitation backfires An attempt to spread Ramadan cheer backfires as Turkey's Islamists are not happy with a controversial TV show involving competition to recitate the Quran. Egypt
Beloved Turkish soccer star sacked after choking reporter Turkish soccer player Arda Turan may have believed that his close relationship with the Turkish president lent him immunity as he assaulted a journalist this week. Turkey
After rushing to Qatar's aid, Turkey may have to rethink its Mideast ties Ankara, fearing it could be next on the Arab hit list, hastily approves sending troops to Qatar despite Turkey's poor history when intervening in Arab affairs. Qatar
