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
Delivering $1 billion aid to Yemen faces difficulties More than $1 billion in humanitarian aid has been pledged by international partners for Yemen, but whether it can be delivered is a separate issue. Yemen
Palestinian traders forced to retreat from Cairo market In the most crowded part of Egypt’s popular markets, in the center of Cairo, mainly clothing is sold at the "Gaza Market," but the Palestinian traders have made way for their Egyptian counterparts. Palestine
Gaza to see forced military retirement in June The Palestinian Authority will begin forcing about half of its military staff in the Gaza Strip to retire in a move it hopes will ease its financial crisis and put pressure on Hamas, despite fears that the move is likely to make both situations worse. Palestine
Iraqi forces advance from north ahead of ‘extremely violent’ fight As the Iraqi joint forces launched an operation to capture the last Islamic State-held enclave in Mosul, the fight is getting harder and putting civilians at risk. Iraq
Trump visits Saudi Arabia, Kremlin shrugs Russia may be keeping quiet publicly about Donald Trump’s relations with Saudi Arabia, but Trump’s recent trip to the kingdom raises some interesting questions for Moscow. Saudi Arabia
'The Ottoman Lieutenant' loses box office war “The Ottoman Lieutenant,” the first Hollywood production to reflect Turkey’s perspective on the Armenian genocide, has been criticized both for its outlook and its artistic merit. Turkey
Egypt-Saudi ties could be key to Trump’s Mideast 'ultimate deal' Egypt's disputed transfer of the Tiran and Sanafir islands to Saudi Arabia may be one part of an overall peace deal involving Israel. Saudi Arabia
Israeli right convinced Netanyahu will soon swerve left The Israeli right-wing camp suspects that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already closed a deal with President Donald Trump over talks with the Palestinians. Palestine
Egypt's Al-Azhar looks to 'cafe preachers' to spread its message Egypt's most influential religious institution hopes to gain a wider audience and counter radical ideas by sending preachers to the coffee shops. Egypt
Iran follows Russia’s lead in backing Syria safe zones Russia’s proposal legitimates Iranian military role in Syria; supreme leader hails victory for "Islamic democracy"; Turkish intervention in Sinjar could disrupt Mosul liberation plans; Egypt’s media crackdown. Egypt
20th-century Libyan jihadism's role in Manchester attack Suicide bomber Salman Abedi’s multiple trips back and forth to Libya, where his family is widely associated with the Salafi jihadi movement, provided ample opportunity for advanced training to execute the massacre in Manchester. Libya
Turkey making itself at home in Syria Turkey is looking less like a visitor in northern Syria as it sets up more permanent facilities and resettles Turkmens in certain areas. Syria
