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
Turks question loyalties after picture emerges of US soldiers with YPG patches Recently published photos of US forces wearing YPG insignia have further strained US-Turkish relations and may even offer a recruitment tool for the Islamic State. Syria
From Cairo to California: Meet the Arab world’s super-agent By establishing talent agency CAT, Egyptian producer and film director Amr Koura hopes to bridge the cultural gap between the Arab world and the West. Near East
Will Turkey's military might be overshadowed by political failures? Although the Turkish military is preoccupied with developments in Syria, border security and combating terrorism, its Efes exercise on May 30-31 was a major show of force. Turkey
Israel's selective memory on Armenian genocide The German resolution recognizing the 1915 Armenian genocide highlights Israel's refusal to do so and its preference of political considerations over a moral stance. Palestine
Syrians fight Jabhat al-Nusra with cameras, social media A group of young Syrians has been documenting and exposing violations and other activities by Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria. Syria
New legislation to bolster services for Egypt's disabled The Egyptian parliament is discussing a groundbreaking bill to guarantee the rights of Egypt's disabled population, addressing some but not all of the obstacles that have impeded the constitutional provisions in this matter so far. Egypt
How Israeli students are responding to price-gouging landlords with this new app Israeli activists are promoting tenant protection laws, rent price databases and a special app — all in an effort to reduce rent prices. Israel
Are the Taliban and Iran teaming up to stop IS? An article on the Jahan news website reported that the former Taliban leader who was killed in a US drone strike in Pakistan had met with Iranian officials one week before he was killed. Iran
How Jerusalem Jubilee plan sidelines Arab residents In his speech on Jerusalem Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that he aspires for peace, yet his Jerusalem Jubilee plan ignores Jerusalem's Arab residents. Palestine
Netanyahu's diplomatic nightmare Is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's sudden positive statements on the Arab Peace Initiative a reflection of his fears of a Palestinian statehood resolution at the United Nations? Palestine
Will the end-times begin at this Iraqi lake? The hidden water source of Lake Sawa in the desert of the Iraqi province of Muthanna has turned it into a religious, historical tale. Iraq
Is it Eid or not? Muslims take step toward resolving calendar dispute Religious representatives from Islamic countries agree to embrace a common calendar to overcome a long-standing conflict on the start of Ramadan, but their past record inspires little optimism for a genuine compromise. Saudi Arabia
