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 US strikes could bring Tehran, Moscow closer The unanticipated US military strikes in Syria have opened a new chapter in the conflict that could eliminate disagreements between Iran and Russia regarding the future of Syria. Syria
Iranian officials give 'muted' response to US missile strike in Syria Iranian officials have condemned the American military strike on Syria but appear not to be pushing for an escalation with the United States. Syria
After chemical attack, Turkey renews calls for Assad’s ouster Is Turkey bringing back its previous policy regarding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad? Syria
Fears of foul play hang over Turkish referendum In the final stretch before Turkey’s critical referendum, “no” voters are concerned about government meddling and electoral fraud in what is expected to be a nail-biting vote on the country’s future. Turkey
Land dispute continues to threaten Egypt-Sudan ties Sudan recently announced the formation of a committee to consider the expulsion of Egyptians from the disputed Halayeb and Shalateen region, an area that has long been at the forefront of strained relations between Cairo and Khartoum. Egypt
Displaced Raqqa teachers prepare for rebuilding education post-IS On April 2, a group of teachers from Raqqa held a meeting in southern Turkey to discuss how to proceed with restoring schooling and education once their city is liberated from the Islamic State. Syria
Interview Hezbollah’s No. 2: US strike on Syria mere ‘muscle flexing' In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Sheikh Naim Qassem, the deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah in Lebanon, spoke about the US military strikes on a Syrian air base and Israel and its potential moves in the region among other things. Naim Qassem Deputy secretary-general of Hezbollah
Morocco finally gets new government, but at what cost? The announcement of a new Cabinet in Morocco after months of difficulty revealed that the Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) may have had to pay a heavy price for compromise. Morocco
Could Kurds hold independence referendum this year? The Kurdistan Democratic Party is rushing to organize an independence referendum; however, there is no agreement on this matter among other Kurdish parties, and Baghdad, Iran and Turkey have strong reservations. Iraq
How Turkey's 'hasty' support for US missile strike could backfire Turkey's rash decisions about Syria could make it appear fickle to both Russia and the United States. Syria
After US missile strikes, can Tillerson find common ground with Russia in Syria? US strategy to defeat Islamic State in play as secretary of state heads to Moscow and UN secretary-general calls for restraint. Saudi Arabia
Library projects in Egypt bring stories to life Bookmobiles, book-exchange projects and even living "books" are serving Egyptians without access to libraries. Egypt
