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
AKP, CHP exchange fire over coup as referendum ballots print Turkey's ruling party and opposition leadership are trading accusations of complicity and cowardice in the July coup in a race to discredit each other as the constitutional referendum nears. Turkey
Iranian conservative coalition at risk of collapse As Iran approaches its May 19 presidential vote, conservative candidates continue to show no indication of being ready to withdraw in favor of the leading contender of the camp. Iran
Cairo takes urgent measures to combat terrorism after church bombings In the wake of the Palm Sunday church bombings, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and parliament took several steps amending internal laws that confront terrorism, but many doubt the ability of these measures to halt terrorist attacks. Egypt
Ankara welcomes US action in Syria, but doubts remain Opinion in Turkey is divided after Washington’s missile strike on Syria, reflecting a mix of enthusiasm, wishful thinking and realism. Syria
Iraq's Shiite clerics show no love for Assad It shouldn't have come as a surprise when Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish power, as other Shiite leaders have previously also criticized the Assad regime. Iraq
Is Iran the real winner in US-Russia spat? The main winner of the US missile attack on Syria appears to be Iran, as Russia is yet again left with no other partner in the war-torn country. Syria
Israel's 'slow' plan for peace Israeli politicians are arguing that at least 10 years of calm and negotiations are required before the possibility of founding an independent Palestinian state. Palestine
Will Hamas respond to leader's assassination? Hamas is still considering its options on how to respond to the assassination of its military leader, Mazen Faqha, which was blamed on Israel. Palestine
Storytellers create intimate space in bustling Beirut The old Arab tradition of storytelling is finding its way back into Lebanese hearts, and regular events are becoming increasingly popular in Beirut. Lebanon
3 Russian theories on why the US hit Syria Russian analysts have differing theories on just how and why the United States bombed a Syrian air base. Syria
Russia 'furious' with Assad over gas attack Syria’s alleged chemical weapons attack in Idlib province has threatened to sabotage potential US-Russia rapprochement, and Russia is privately furious with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria
Church bombings leave many Egyptians questioning Sisi's 'war on terror' Despite failing to prevent terrorist attacks so far, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has made more promises to increase security in the wake of attacks on two Coptic churches on Palm Sunday. Egypt
