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 Iraqis view Iran’s influence in their country Iranian statements on the role of Iraqi armed groups in protecting Iranian national interests are a violation of Iraq’s national sovereignty, Iraqi officials say. Iraq
Trump’s Mideast plan starts taking shape US President Donald Trump’s Middle East team is exploring the possibility of a double-track initiative for Israeli-Palestinian and Middle East regional talks. Saudi Arabia
Palestine launches new museum to promote biodiversity The newly opened Palestine Museum of Natural History in the West Bank seeks to preserve Palestine’s biodiversity and promote scientific research. Palestine
Meet Palestine's new generation of diplomats A cadre of young Western-trained Palestinians are increasingly filling diplomatic posts around the world. Palestine
'Beauty and the Beast' romances Egypt despite controversial content Some in Egypt criticized the state censors for allowing "Beauty and the Beast" to be screened in local movie theaters, as the movie contains scenes suggesting homosexuality. Egypt
Israel to launch major project to block Hamas tunnels Israel has notified Hamas about the work it plans to start this summer to block the tunnels in the Gaza Strip, in the hope that Hamas will not use this move in order to reopen a military front. Palestine
How confronting Germany bolsters Netanyahu’s status Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no limits in his battle for personal popularity; he attacks anti-occupation groups, foreign friendly leaders and even the State Comptroller. Israel
Is lack of direction from Trump hampering Congress on Iran? Democrats complain they have no idea what the president thinks of Congress' sanctions proposals. Congress
Egyptian government resists attempts to end torture The longtime struggle by human rights groups to stop torture at the hands of the Egyptian security services shows no signs of improvement. Egypt
Is Putin interfering in Iran’s presidential elections? Conservative presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi’s meeting with a visiting Russian official has raised debate on Moscow’s potential interference in Iran’s May 19 vote. Russia
Is Turkey trying to disrupt Raqqa operation? In the lead-up to President Erdogan's Washington visit next month, Turkey's recent air attacks in Syria and Iraq might be a message that Turkey intends to play a more involved role in those countries. Iraq
YPG, Turkish forces exchange fire on Syrian border The diplomatic fallout from Turkey’s deadly airstrikes against Kurdish militants is growing as Turkey reacts angrily to US rebukes. Syria
