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 Iran outmaneuvering Saudi Arabia in Yemen? Accusations that Iran is aiding Yemen's Houthis increased dramatically in 2009, in large part due to Saudi and Iranian media, though little evidence exists for direct Iranian influence. Saudi Arabia
Iran dispatches diplomats to tackle Yemen crisis Iran's President Hassan Rouhani has presented steps to be taken to end the crisis in Yemen as Iran's diplomats have been dispatched to the region. Saudi Arabia
Turkey's minorities join race for parliament An unprecedented number of minority candidates will run in Turkey’s June 7 general elections, promising representation for ethnic and religious communities after decades of parliamentary absence. Turkey
Syriacs commemorate their massacre While the world prepares to commemorate what has become known as the Armenian genocide, the Syriacs are still struggling for international recognition of the massacre of members of their community in 1915. Turkey
Congress gets its say on Iran deal A look at the Middle East issues Congress will be addressing the week of April 13 Iran
France steps up involvement on Iran, Palestine France has been very proactive during talks on the Iranian framework agreement, and it intends to extend this proactive attitude to the Palestinian issue. Palestine
How will Turkey benefit from lifting of Iran sanctions? Turkey faced substantial losses with declining exports to Iran because of the embargo. Now that easing of sanctions is a possibility, however, political ambitions and contradictory positions may impede recovery. Turkey
How the nuclear deal will help Iran's economy While a comprehensive nuclear deal is not yet final, the psychological boost of the famework deal and prospects of an end to sanctions are already placing Iran in a better position to materialize its economic potential. Iran
Two trampled at massive ultra-Orthodox funeral Ultra-Orthodox are eager to fulfill the spiritual act of accompanying the deceased on his last journey, but the massively attended funeral of Rabbi Halevi-Wosner entailed the trampling to death of two students in attendance. Israel
Zionist Camp MK: Israel can maximize benefits from Iran deal In an interview with Al-Monitor, Zionist Camp Knesset member Eyal Ben-Reuven says that the Iranian framework agreement does establish some limits on the nuclear project, and calls to focus on effective deterrence and tight control on Iran. Israel
Khamenei criticizes Saudi airstrikes, nuclear agreement In addition to opposing recent Saudi strikes on Yemen, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei voiced dissatisfaction with the recent Iran nuclear talks milestone, expressing skepticism that coming talks will result in adequate sanctions relief. Saudi Arabia
Rouhani eyes parliamentary elections Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has deemed the coming year "the year of elections," referring to the country's parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections. Iran
