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
Liberman's resignation opens door for Herzog With a narrow coalition of 61 members, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will face constant challenges from his political partners, and may try to persuade the Zionist Camp to join his coalition at a later stage. Israel
Yazidi candidate hopes for historic first in Turkish election If the pro-Kurdish HDP passes the 10% threshold in the general elections on June 7, Feleknas Uca will be the first Yazidi member of the Turkish parliament. Iraq
Liberman's move could sink Bibi's coalition Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman's announcement that he will not join the Netanyahu coalition was carefully planned, placing the prime minister between a rock and a hard place, with just two days left to form a government. Israel
Ultra-Orthodox celebrate Lapid's defeat The ultra-Orthodox hope that joining the government will restore the funding stripped from the budget and annul military reforms introduced by former Finance Minister Yair Lapid. Israel
Who is bombing Egypt's electricity towers? The recurrent targeting of electricity towers in Egypt has increased accusations against the Muslim Brotherhood, which has wide control within the Ministry of Electricity and Energy, as some claim that they are working with terrorist groups against the current regime. Egypt
Arab states worry over Senate's 'Jewish State' debate An Iran bill amendment could create an uncomfortable precedent for Arab allies of the United States. Israel
Saudi re-reshuffle turning point for relations with Tehran King Salman's recent reshuffling of key positions and statements by the grand mufti and Iran's supreme leader point to strife between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Legacy: Gulf
More divisions reported between Hamas' political, military wings Hamas representatives have downplayed reports and said that the movement's leaders are on the same page. Palestine
'Lost generation' of Ethiopian-Israelis protest in Tel Aviv The violent demonstrations of Ethiopian-Israelis is a signal to the leadership that the community will not take any more discrimination or abuse. Israel
Palestinian soccer chairman asks FIFA to suspend Israel In an interview with Al-Monitor, Palestinian Soccer Association Chairman Jibril Rajoub accuses Israel of harassing Palestinian soccer by preventing the free movement of players and the importation of equipment. Palestine
Saudi Arabia, Iran both losers in Yemen war Despite the announcement of the end of Operation Decisive Storm in Yemen, Saudi Arabia seems to have failed militarily, while Iran may have lost on the political level. Saudi Arabia
Iraqis need to build state, not just defeat IS Iraqis cannot liberate their country from the Islamic State unless they are able to create a unified state representing all interests. Iraq
