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
Why big European banks are reluctant to return to Iran Iranians and Americans see different reasons for major European banks’ reluctance to return to the Iranian market after the nuclear deal. Iran
Cairo marks World Press Freedom Day with raid on journalists' syndicate After police raided the Press Syndicate May 1 and arrested two journalists, even the state-run daily Al-Ahram condemned the move — but what does this mean for the future of Egyptian media? Egypt
Did Rouhani call for North Korea to give up nuclear weapons? South Korean officials have welcomed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s comments about a Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons. Iran
Four reasons Sisi won’t turn against Iran The Saudi efforts to forge an alliance with Egypt come in the context of Riyadh’s efforts to expand its anti-Iran coalition. But will Saudi Arabia succeed in bringing Egypt onboard? Saudi Arabia
Gaza renews taxi fleet to dismay of old cab drivers For the first time in nine years, Israel has allowed the entry of new taxi cars into Gaza, a decision that appealed to Gazans but was met with criticism by the owners of old and dilapidated cars, who fear that the new cars will put them out of business. Palestine
Russia, US and the Kurds: The friend of my enemy is — wait, what? While the world squabbles over who is helping or should help Syrian Kurds, the Kurds aren't turning down aid from any quarter. Syria
How mysterious new Turkish blog exposed Erdogan-Davutoglu rift The anonymous blog that condemned Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu for betraying President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may be more than just a text. Turkey
Erdogan suggests name change for Arab League "Why don’t we just call it the 'Islamic League' instead of the Arab League?" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a remark that is bound to raise eyebrows in Arab capitals. Turkey
Will European pressure push Netanyahu on right track? Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces European pressure to advance talks with the Palestinians while the Likud simultaneously pushes for continued settlement expansion. Palestine
Women rule shadowy world of ultra-Orthodox cinema Popular ultra-Orthodox movies, created by ultra-Orthodox women for all-female audiences and screened for only two weeks each year, are still not conservative enough to maintain the entire sector's support. Israel
Why journalists in Iraq face death threats Journalists in Iraq are divided on why press freedom is restricted in the country, as some say that some reporters bring death threats on themselves by fabricating reports. Iraq
Syrian students struggle in Egypt's schools Getting an education is becoming even harder for Syrian refugees in Egypt as some schools resist taking on more Syrian students. Egypt
