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
Why liberating Mosul won't lead to the end of IS Due to the wide remote area between Iraq and Syria, retaking Mosul will not mean an end to the Islamic State. Iraq
Will Hamas’ new policy document allow it to enter international scene? Hamas hopes to revive old alliances and fix relations with regional and international actors with its new more pragmatic policy document. Palestine
Zarif defends Rouhani’s achievements Iran’s foreign minister responded to the challenges put forth by the conservative presidential candidates about the JCPOA and the government's diplomacy. Iran
Iran's dark horse candidate for president Conservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi is attempting to project a nonpartisan image while adopting stronger positions against incumbent Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Iran
Knesset reels after defense minister compares Arab members to Nazis Israel's Joint List will convene this week to decide whether to lodge a police complaint against Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman for comparing Arab lawmakers to Nazis. Israel
Congress unsure what's next after Trump decides to arm Syrian Kurds Lawmakers laid the groundwork for arming the YPG back in 2014. Syria
Iran’s Rouhani shifts strategy in presidential race Iran’s moderate president, Hassan Rouhani, has changed his tactics, attacking his conservative rivals who are determined to unseat him. Iran
Turkey, Israel in verbal spat over Jerusalem Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments on Jerusalem and the Israel-Palestine conflict have cast dark clouds over Turkish-Israeli relations. Israel
Does Israel really need the Nationality Law? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu advances the discriminating Nationality Law in order to garner wide political support. Israel
What's behind curious gold traffic between Turkey and UAE? Gold of almost similar worth has been traded between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates in the first quarter of the year, raising suspicion that some dubious transactions may be underway. United Arab Emirates
Odds appear stacked against success of Erdogan-Trump meeting Erdogan’s advisers are among those predicting his mission in Washington will fail. Turkey
Sinjar on brink of major conflict between PKK, Turkey The city of Sinjar, west of Mosul, seems close to becoming a battleground for armed confrontations between the PKK and the Turkish army, especially after Ankara called for ground intervention against PKK fighters in Sinjar to prevent them from having a new base in the north of Iraq. Iraq
