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
Is Iranian parliament warming up to Rouhani? Iranian President Hassan Rouhani appears to be the winner following Ali Larijani's re-election as Iran's parliament speaker for the third time. Iran
Is Erdogan against birth control? The latest manifestation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pronatalist agenda insists that Muslim families refrain from using birth control. Turkey
US election 2016: Make-or-break time for Clinton in California Here's what happened on the campaign trail the week of May 30. United States
Why is Erdogan threatening showdown on EU visa waiver? The EU's visa waiver promise to Ankara concerns a relatively small number of Turks who have little sway on Erdogan's political aspirations. Turkey
Why Israel rejected Paris peace conference Israel had hoped that the Paris conference initiative will fade away, the way the French initiative for a UN resolution on Palestinian statehood was sidelined. Palestine
What's next after Germany's Armenian genocide resolution? The German parliament's historic resolution on the Armenian genocide led to predictable responses from Ankara while creating further uncertainty in Turkey's relations with the West. Turkey
How the Islamic State is winning the media war Is covering the Islamic State’s activities a legitimate public service or just propaganda that serves the extremist group? Iraq
Young Gazans juggle their jobs with circus performances The only circus school in Gaza is popular with patrons, and performers say they've gained confidence and friends from the experience. Palestine
Major regime offensive looms over Aleppo Aleppo and its countryside are under heavy shelling by the regime as observers fear this a prelude to a major siege of the city's opposition-controlled areas. Syria
Will Hamas abandon political Islam? The decision by Tunisia's Ennahda to separate religion from politics has raised controversy within Hamas circles. Palestine
How Israel justifies increased arrest rate of Palestinians The number of Palestinians in Israeli jails has increased as detainees are accused of incitement against Israel on social media. Palestine
How this Israeli play is offending the ultra-Orthodox The ultra-Orthodox argue that the restaging of the play "Fleischer" distorts the reality of improving relations between the ultra-Orthodox and secular communities. Israel
