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
Did Egypt obstruct Qatar's efforts for Fatah-Hamas reconciliation? The latest Palestinian reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas hosted by Qatar have failed, but the reason may have come from outside the talks. Qatar
Why Gaza's beachgoers will be shelling out more money this summer This year, the municipality of Gaza reduced the number of licenses granted for beach resorts, allowing only four and raising license fees, which will affect the price of services offered to the public in these places. Palestine
What’s next for Hamas’ Meshaal? Khaled Meshaal, the long-serving head of Hamas' political bureau, will likely abstain from the movement’s next internal elections, although close observers find it hard to imagine him withdrawing from the movement's leadership permanently. Palestine
Why Turkish women are rallying behind this killer A young Turkish woman who killed her abusive husband has found strong support among women's rights activists calling for her acquittal. Turkey
Is Tunisia prepared for return of thousands of Islamic State fighters? Thousands of Islamic State fighters are expected to return to Tunisia, where the authorities are uncertain how to deal with the risk they may pose. Iraq
Classic cars withstood coups, but can they survive war in Aleppo? Abu Omar's family has sought refuge elsewhere, but he remains in Aleppo with his collection of classic cars and antiques. Syria
The racial profiling Trump so admires doesn't even work in Israel State-sanctioned racial profiling in Israel means that Arab citizens are subject to detention, body and property searches at any time, despite research showing such methods cause more harm than good. Palestine
Where are the Copts when you need one? Egyptian law forces all political parties to include Christians and other minorities, which creates a dilemma for Islamists. Egypt
The myth of a tripartite Iraq Although it is often claimed that a federal state with an autonomous region for Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds would stabilize Iraq, this proposition has little bearing to the realities on the ground. Iraq
Egypt's parliament may give Sisi more control over the press A new draft law has been presented that gives President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the right to form a new Supreme Press Council with full authority over the media. Egypt
Could Foreign Ministry shakeup impact Iran's regional policies? Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has denied speculation that the recent change at the deputy foreign minister position is the result of appeasing foreign countries. Syria
Why beefing up private security could leave Turks feeling less secure A surge in the private security sector raises questions about the surge's cause, and about its potential to deteriorate quality of service and basic rights. Turkey
