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
War of words escalates between Jordan, Iran Jordan’s 1994 peace treaty with Israel along with its pro-US orientation seems to have put the country on a collision course with Iran. Saudi Arabia
Help comes with dangerous strings for Syrian Druze town The Golan Heights town of Hadar has been suffering essentially siege conditions throughout the Syrian war, surrounded by the warring factions and unfriendly neighbors and manipulated by aid from both the regime and Israel. Israel
Why were Gaza’s poor denied monetary allowances? The political dispute between Hamas and the consensus government in Ramallah has affected many poor families in the Gaza Strip whose welfare payments have been cut off. Palestine
How the IDF is plotting Islamic State's next move Israeli intelligence expects the Islamic State to relocate after it loses the battles over Mosul and Raqqa. Iraq
Does Erdogan expect Trump to ditch Syrian Kurds? US and Turkish presidents talk, agree to meeting in Washington; Saudi-Iraqi ties hit Iranian ceiling; Turkey sees al-Bab as safe haven for displaced Syrians. Saudi Arabia
Aya Hegazy case spotlights Egypt's pretrial detention law Human rights activists welcome a proposed limitation on pretrial detentions in Egypt, but some remain skeptical that the amendment would make a real difference on the ground. Egypt
Why is Israeli Labor shifting back to leftist agenda? Israel’s Labor Party is returning to its left-wing agenda, readopting the vision of peace of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Palestine
Did Kurds determine outcome of Turkey's referendum? The voting pattern of Kurds has become the most debated issue of the Turkish referendum, with many people pointing fingers at Kurdish voters for voting for the "yes" front. Turkey
Is prominent conservative cleric really a threat to Rouhani? While Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and cleric Ebrahim Raisi have to some extent shared backgrounds in public service, the incumbent Iranian president’s greater experience in politics remains the biggest thorn in the side of his conservative opponents. Iran
Iran’s Guardian Council announces presidential candidate list The Guardian Council has given the green light to six candidates to run in Iran’s May 19 presidential election, with former hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad being disqualified. Iran
Has Turkey's referendum emboldened hate? Threats and venomous words against Turkish women have caused an uproar among citizens but haven't drawn much of a reaction from the government. Turkey
Dogs get fit at Cairo's new canine gym Dogs owners in Cairo can take their pets to the newly opened Eastwind Training Center, to get into shape and socialize with other dogs. Egypt
