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 US disengaging from Israeli-Palestinian conflict? With a weak Palestinian leader and a peace-rejectionist Israeli prime minister, the Obama administration is reluctant to impose itself on the two parties and might prefer a disengagement doctrine. Palestine
Kerry counselor expected to succeed Sherman in key job State Department Counselor Tom Shannon, a former US ambassador to Brazil, is expected to be picked to succeed Wendy Sherman as under secretary of state, US officials tell Al-Monitor. Iran
Will Iran's new mortgage plan stimulate housing market? New plans to increase the ceiling for mortgages in Iran creates unnecessary bureaucracies and is not enough to stimulate demand in the housing market. Iran
Turkish civic society mobilizes against election fraud Turkish civic groups such as Vote and Beyond prepare for stringent monitoring of the June 7 elections, given that even minuscule vote-rigging could have a huge impact on the country’s future. Turkey
Iran MPs try to sidestep Guardian Council oversight Iranian MPs attempted to pass a bill that would reduce the Guardian Council's powers in the 2016 parliamentary elections. Iran
Modern Turkish baths not just for scrubbing Turkish baths are enjoying a revival among trendy urbanites with modern amenities and services. Turkey
Sales of Turkish property to foreign buyers reaches $4.3B in 2014 Foreign real estate purchases in Turkey have reached more than $16 billion over the past six years, hitting an all-time annual high last year. Turkey
Kahlon's election promise blunder Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon won 10 Knesset seats after promising to dismantle monopolies and share more equally natural resources, but this promise is now questioned in view of his friendship with a leading Israeli businessman. Israel
Two Israeli mayors consider leadership run Two mayors, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, are contemplating challenging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Isaac Herzog. Israel
Ramadi's displaced find restrictions, not refuge, in Baghdad The exodus of displaced people fleeing Iraq's Anbar province after the Islamic State imposed its control there should be an opportunity for the Iraqi government to unify efforts of all sects in the face of terrorism. Iraq
Hamas seeks reconciliation with Salafists Faced with numerous security challenges, Hamas leaders appear to have settled on reconciliation with Salafists in Gaza rather than force of arms. Palestine
Palestinian prisoners resort to hunger strikes Hunger strikes by Palestinian detainees are sweeping Israeli prisons in protest of what looks like a pattern of abusive administrative detention rulings. Palestine
