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
Can new mosque boost tourism in Egypt resort town? As Egypt officially inaugurates an imposing mosque in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh in the southern Sinai, officials are hoping it can lure tourists back to the region. Egypt
Will Turkey allow 18-year-old members of parliament? One of the proposed amendments to Turkey’s constitution is the lowering of the age of candidacy for parliament to 18. What does that mean for Turkey's youth? Turkey
Why Turkey’s growth data has economists scratching their heads Turkey’s latest growth data, which suggests the economy rebounded strongly in the fourth quarter of 2016, appears out of sync with other key indicators, fueling doubts over Ankara’s new calculation method. Turkey
Tehran mayor steps aside as conservatives rally forces ahead of presidential vote Tehran’s mayor, a two-time presidential candidate, has announced that he will not run in the May 19 vote. Meanwhile, former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad holds his first press conference in almost four years. Iran
Turkish outrage mounts as doctors point to neurotoxin in Idlib attack In Turkish hospitals, medical staff including a team from Doctors Without Borders report mounting evidence that victims of yesterday's attack may have been exposed to sarin or a similar toxin. Syria
How some Israelis plan to cash in with cannabis As the Knesset considers a bill to legalize exporting medical cannabis, dozens of Israeli kibbutzim are getting in on the lucrative industry. Israel
Fatah’s Barghouti pushes hunger strike for 3,500 prisoners Imprisoned Fatah senior leader Marwan Barghouti calls for the group’s prisoners in Israel to start a hunger strike over imprisonment conditions. Palestine
Structural issues cloud Khamenei's economic vision for Iran To realize Iran's economic potential, the supreme leader and the government need to take steps to allow genuine private sector expansion. Iran
Following gas attack, Israel reassesses Syrian threat Israeli intelligence branches are reassessing the Syrian threat of weapons of mass destruction following the gas attack in Idlib on April 4. Israel
Corruption, deceit plague private education in Iraq As Iraq's education system continues to decline, the government is working to stop private universities from operating without accreditation. Iraq
Congress demands Trump action on Syria after Idlib gas attack The president is under fire for backing off Obama's regime change policy. Syria
Anger in Ankara over Iraqi Kurdish independence moves Given its close ties with the Kurdistan Regional Government, which it needs for economic, political and security interests, Turkey’s objections to Iraqi Kurdish plans remain low key, but a crisis between the sides may nevertheless be looming. Iraq
