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
Will Syria's Kurds succeed at self-sufficiency? Despite major obstacles and challenges, the Kurds are making efforts to achieve economic self-sufficiency in areas they control in northern Syria. Syria
Will Ankara’s new culture plan lead to more censorship of the arts? In Turkey, where freedom of expression is curtailed, the AKP’s sustainable cultural development program finds little enthusiasm. Turkey
Landmines hinder return of displaced to Iraq's Ramadi Although efforts are underway to clear Ramadi from landmines, the displaced cannot return to their cities given the risks they could be facing. Iraq
Aid poured into fixing mosques while Gazans live in tents Enormous funds are being funneled into the reconstruction of destroyed mosques in private projects that are directed by the donors themselves, with money Hamas cannot redirect toward housing displaced Gazans. Palestine
Libyan government, parliament enter into standoff Libya's Government of National Accord is yet to get a vote of confidence by the House of Representatives. Libya
Why some Palestinians aren't optimistic about Israel's decision to ease residency restrictions Israel issued a decision allowing some Palestinians living in Jerusalem and the West Bank to reunite with their families in Israeli cities, but security concerns may undermine it. Palestine
Why France isn’t inviting Israel, Palestine to peace process conference As a first step to relaunch a two-state solution process, France will convene at the end of May a conference of stakeholders, without the Israelis or the Palestinians. Palestine
Refugees in Israel dream of freedom this Passover Israelis and refugees celebrated Passover at the Holot detention center to bring attention to the refugees' lack of freedom and the conditions at the facility. Israel
Israel's opposition leader challenged from all sides Labor Party head and opposition chair Isaac Herzog is finding himself on shaky ground, coping with a corruption investigation that rivals believe is damaging to the party. Israel
Israel's ultra-Orthodox skip Passover cleaning, go on vacation The exhausting pre-Passover cleaning needed to rid observant houses of leavened bread has inspired many ultra-Orthodox families to celebrate Passover in hotels instead of at home and even led to specialized overseas vacation packages. Israel
How one Gaza crossing went from death trap to gate of hope A decade ago, crossing from Gaza at the Erez checkpoint was a nightmare, but now under Defense Ministry management the once-dangerous crossing offers a model of order and security for West Bank facilities. Palestine
Trump meets the DC foreign policy establishment Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump rolls out his "America First" foreign policy speech, leaving many unanswered questions about his plans to secure the United States and stabilize the world's trouble spots. Iraq
