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 can Iraq address child abuse, torture? While the phenomenon of child abuse has recently come under the spotlight in Iraq, the government is not taking action to stop this violence against children. Iraq
Congress blames State Department after draft sanctions bill leaked to pro-Hezbollah media The Lebanese government is preparing to send a delegation to Washington to oppose the proposed new sanctions on the designated terrorist organization. Lebanon
Turkey-Ukraine defense industry ties are booming Turkey is promoting deals with Ukraine to bypass Western embargoes in the defense industry and share critical military technologies. Turkey
Turkish bans on Wikipedia and public drinking rouse anger The Turkish public has reacted with anger to both the Antalya police department's ban on the public consumption of alcohol and a Turkish court's ban on Wikipedia. Turkey
US move to protect YPG could push Turkey into Russia's arms US special forces have deployed along Syrian border to deter Turkey from further attacks against Syrian Kurdish forces but the United States has no sway over Russian-dominated northwestern Syria, prompting conjecture about a possible Russian-Turkish deal for Idlib. Syria
Who killed exiled Iranian TV executive in Istanbul? The owner of GEM TV, which airs dubbed Western programs into Iran, was gunned down in the streets of Istanbul. Turkey
Who wanted Iran’s presidential debates to be prerecorded? Iran has held the first of three rounds of televised presidential debates ahead of the May 19 vote — but not without controversy about whether they should be aired live. Iran
Is Pope Francis' Egypt visit new beginning for Vatican-Azhar ties? With the visit of Pope Francis to Cairo on April 28-29, ties between the Vatican and Al-Azhar have been strengthened, putting interfaith dialogue high on the agenda of the Christian and Muslim representatives. Egypt
Will al-Qaeda and IS unite? Several reports indicate that an alliance between al-Qaeda and the Islamic State may take place in Iraq after the liberation of Mosul. Iraq
Three reasons Turkey bombed Syria and Iraq Turkish government officials provided Al-Monitor rare insight into Turkey's mindset, explaining the reasoning behind the controversial attacks on Syrian Kurdish fighters. Syria
Israelis celebrate 69 years, ignore occupation Israelis prefer to focus on celebrating their country’s 69th anniversary, while ignoring 50 years of occupation and suffering in the West Bank. Palestine
After 69 years of independence, Israel more prosperous and divided than ever The 1967 Six-Day War with the occupation of the West Bank marks a watershed in Israel’s history; Israel has since turned into a prosperous, developed country, albeit with a divided society with elements that lean to extremes. Palestine
