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
How Trump's upcoming visit is connecting Israelis and Palestinians The May 22 visit of President Donald Trump pushes Israelis and Palestinians into greater cooperation, driving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to decide on a package of economic incentives for the Palestinians. Palestine
Photo campaign blows lid off skin color discrimination in Egypt A new photo campaign casts the spotlight on darker-skinned women's experience with discrimination in Egypt. Egypt
Did Erdogan leave Trump meeting empty-handed? After the meeting between the Turkish and US presidents, it seems that the two country's diplomatic problems will continue, but there could be some slight improvements in military cooperation. Turkey
Following controversial video leak, Iraq minorities seek to address hate speech Following a religious lecture by the head of the Shiite Endowment on the provisions of jihad against non-Muslims, Iraqi minorities called for the government to take decisive action against hate speech in the country. Iraq
Saltwater and 'honor' on Gazan restaurants’ menus The Gaza Strip is showing its solidarity with the Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike in Israeli jails by participating in the "Saltwater Challenge." Palestine
After his withdrawal from presidential race, who will get Tehran mayor's votes? Although Tehran Mayor Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has withdrawn from the presidential race and urged his supporters to back fellow conservative Ebrahim Raisi, there are doubts about voters heeding his call. Iran
In final day before vote, Rouhani lashes out at Iran’s hard-liners In his final campaign speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani issued criticisms of his main conservative rival, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Basij and state TV. Iran
Can a consensus candidate be found to challenge Egypt's Sisi? Several political and civil forces have launched initiatives to select a consensus candidate to run against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in the elections set for May 2018. Egypt
Open-air soccer game screenings come to Gaza City A giant screen at al-Qutaibah Square in Gaza City has been showing the UEFA Europa League matches, easing the suffering of Gazans amid the power outage and unemployment crises. Palestine
Would Israel's Knesset support a Trump Mideast deal? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot claim that his coalition will fall apart if he supports a peace initiative by President Donald Trump. Palestine
Trump waives nuclear sanctions but slaps Iran on missiles, human rights The Trump administration sanctioned seven new entities for their alleged role in Iran’s ballistic missile program even as it complied with the letter of the nuclear deal. United States
Do Iran's conservatives have a foreign policy agenda? While Iran's 2013 presidential election focused primarily on foreign policy issues, this year's election is all about the economy. Iran
