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
Momentum for Iran deal builds The Iran nuclear talks have been extended until July 7 as the Iranian and US officials present in Vienna express optimism and mutual reassurance. Iran
Khamenei adviser: IS warned about Iraq shrines The military adviser for Iran's supreme leader said the Islamic State was warned about approaching Shiite shrines. Regional
Riyadh's shifting Beirut policy Recent decisions and a series of measures adopted by Saudi Arabia all point to a clear change in the way the kingdom will be handling relations with Lebanon. Saudi Arabia
Egypt cuts exports, exploits domestic raw materials The government of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is adopting a new strategy to minimize exportation activities and exploit Egypt’s wealth locally, despite the negative repercussions these measures could have on the country’s economy. Egypt
Palestinians pay high cost to conceive Infertility and delayed childbearing seem to be on the rise in the Gaza Strip, so families struggle to get expensive treatment while they can barely acquire their most basic needs. Palestine
Security situation weighs on Iraq's economy The wars that befell Iraq have negatively impacted the country’s economy, spiking its poverty rates and driving some to distrust what seems to be a temporary solution to the crisis the government seems inclined to adopt. Iraq
Turkish corruption suspect awarded business prize Iranian-Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab, who was taken into custody during Turkey’s “17-25 December corruption probe," received top exporter award from a pro-AKP business group. Turkey
Turkish military edges closer to Syria intervention Despite the Turkish military's deep reservations, it appears to be preparing itself to enter Syria in the next two weeks. Syria
New report outlines Al-Aqsa Mosque recommendations The International Crisis Group report on Al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalem tackles this controversial issue for Muslim Palestinians and Israeli Jews, and proposes recommendations to de-escalate the tension between all concerned parties, including Jordan. Palestine
Israel the final frontier for science fiction Israeli science fiction fans are persuaded that the traditional low interest of Israelis in science fiction arts is about to be replaced by stronger involvement in the genre, especially in the sphere of science fiction cinema. Israel
Fight against IS draws Hamas, Egypt closer Relations between Hamas and Egypt, strained since the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, appear to be improving with Saudi mediation. Saudi Arabia
Copts flee North Sinai As threats from terrorist groups escalate, Copts in Egypt's North Sinai governorate are fleeing their homes for fear of being killed or kidnapped. Egypt
