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
Saudi Arabia’s deepening isolation in Yemen Saudi Arabia faces a quagmire in Yemen; a US-Iran “catalogue of cooperation” after a nuclear deal; Iranian activists skeptical on human rights progress; Israel unnerved by Russian decision on missile sale to Iran; the Good Friday massacre in Aleppo; is Erdogan shifting from sectarianism? Saudi Arabia
House probes Iran deal A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of April 20. Iran
Nasrallah to Saudi Arabia: Enough is enough In a recent address to his supporters Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah voiced his disapproval of Saudi Arabia's regional policies, blaming the kingdom for inciting destruction across the region. Saudi Arabia
Turkey hopes to deter Obama from using 'G-word' For Turks, it's unimportant what the pope and European Parliament say; what's important is what Barack Obama says. Turkey
What does Armenian diaspora want? Portrayed as a unified obstruction group by Turkey, the diverse Armenian diaspora is eager to keep communication channels open with Turkey. Turkey
Will Russian missile deal complicate final Iran agreement? The timing of Russian President Vladimir Putin's announcement of a missile deal with Iran raises questions on the impact this may have on the final nuclear negotiations. Russia
Iraqi teachers resort to abuse of students With poor to absent government supervision and education policies, Iraq’s educational system seems to be stuck in the past. Iraq
New Arab MK jockeys for influence on women's issues, budget Aida Tuma, one of two Arab women newly elected to the Knesset, told Al-Monitor that her bloc is striving to effect change by securing influential seats on major committees. Israel
Israel-US tensions on Iran prompt Palestinian strategy Palestinians are adapting their strategy to the Iranian deal, proposing to use the same P5+1 model for negotiations on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and also an international supervision mechanism on the borders. Saudi Arabia
Leaked Israeli documents prompt suspicion from Hamas A recent series of leaked documents from the Israeli government discuss changing Israel's official ruling on the Gaza war victors — but is it a blunder or a strategic move? Palestine
'Ugly Israeli' goes viral A series of videos recently spreading in the media show aggressive and rude Israelis on flights, in shops and at hotels. Israel
Egypt discovers record-length smuggling tunnel The recent discovery of a 2.8 kilometer-long tunnel linking the Sinai to Gaza raised questions about the parties supporting digging operations, as such work requires expensive and advanced equipment, as well as an extensive labor force. Palestine
