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
Lebanon’s female graphic designers draw battle lines Women dominate the graphic design scene in Lebanon, but their work is more valued abroad than at home. Lebanon
Erdogan consolidates control over AKP The current wide-ranging purges carried out under Turkey's emergency rule might one day spread to the ruling Justice and Development Party. Turkey
Turkey-EU set to seek new path forward in ties Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet European leaders this week to determine how the strained relationship between Ankara and Brussels will proceed henceforth. Turkey
Why Iran wants 'de-escalation' zones in Syria While the establishment of "safe zones" has never been part of Russia's or Iran’s plans, their agreement to create "de-escalation zones" at this juncture serves the interests of both countries. Syria
Security around Erdogan tight as Brussels braces for NATO talks Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to press the European Union on terrorism, its customs union and Turkey’s accession talks, though Human Rights Watch has called on the EU to prioritize human rights as it renegotiates the existing customs union. Turkey
Iranian media ties Manchester bombing to Trump’s Saudi visit Iranian media ties the deadly bombing in Manchester to the West’s relationship with Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia
Slew of strange bills brings more controversy for Egypt's parliament Proposed legislation on topics such as charging fees to access Facebook and restricting baby names has led many Egyptians to complain that the country’s legislators aren’t tackling the nation's pressing problems. Egypt
Russia picks 'bull terrier' as new ambassador to US Can the extensive experience of Russian ambassador-in-waiting Anatoly Antonov, who has played an instrumental role in Moscow's policies across the Middle East, overcome controversy in Washington to pave the way for cooperation? Russia
Disputes over Iraq's Yazidi areas lead to fears of PMU-peshmerga clash The Popular Mobilization Units is involved in military operations in Yazidi areas of northern Iraq, angering peshmerga, who argue that the PMU is not allowed to do so by an agreement between Erbil and Baghdad. Iraq
Trump’s peace process heavy on talk, light on details US President Donald Trump displayed his gift as a salesman while visiting Israel and Palestine and pushing his plans for a solution to the conflict. Palestine
After Trump’s Israel love offensive, will Bibi reach a deal with him? If President Donald Trump wants his Middle East deal to succeed, he must include in it the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative. Palestine
The rapid rise of Libya's General Hifter On the third anniversary of Operation Dignity to retake Benghazi from Islamist control, Gen. Khalifa Hifter has become a major political player, but his ultimate goals remain unknown. Libya
![CORRECTION - Russian mediator Alexander Lavrentiev, Iranian deputy foreign minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura attend the signing of a memorandum on creating safe zones in Syria during the fourth round of Syria peace talks in Astana on May 4, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Stanislav FILIPPOV / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Stanislav FILIPPOV has been modified in AFP systems in the following m](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2017/05/GettyImages-678442688.jpg/GettyImages-678442688.jpg?h=f7822858&itok=d7KSlwHD)
