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
Female prisoners in Egypt suffer rampant abuse Human rights groups have accused the Egyptian state of allowing violence against female detainees in prison despite its pledge to tackle the issue of sexual violence against women. Egypt
Hamas leaders in Gaza scramble to avoid Israeli attack Hamas leaders are reaching out to regional allies to try restrain Israel from taking military action in response to the kidnappings. Palestine
Motahari says Supreme Leader called house arrests a 'favor' Parliament member Ali Motahari has said that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei considers the continued house arrest of the Green Movement leaders a lighter punishment than the alternative: imprisonment. Iran
Iran extends welcome to US religious groups Three major US religious delegations have visited Iran since March, seeking to broaden US-Iran dialogue and support the nuclear talks. Iran
Accused kidnappers are rogue Hamas branch The Hebron-based Qawasmeh family may not be under the direct control of Hamas, but its actions have placed Hamas in Israel's sights with regard to the kidnapping of three Israeli students. Palestine
The Syria disconnect in US Iraq policy Iraq welcomes Syrian airstrikes on ISIS; Aleppo’s water crisis. Saudi Arabia
Egyptian law seeks to control political speech at mosques Egypt’s new Law of Oration has stirred conflicting opinions, as some consider it a government attempt to control religious discourse, while others argue it aims at limiting the use of religion for political reasons. Egypt
US-Turkish citizens hit with sticker shock over new tax law Turks with US citizenship making profits from the stock market and interest in Turkey are now liable for taxes going back six years. Turkey
Would Israel cut a deal with Hamas for kidnapped students? Contrary to the Gilad Shalit kidnapping, when 1,027 Palestinian prisoners were released, the right-wing community of the current kidnapped might not be ready to cut such a deal or give up land to bring the children home. Palestine
Mothers of kidnapped Israelis get cold shoulder at UN After speaking at the UN Human Rights Council, the mother of one of the kidnapped Israeli students lamented, "The world is indifferent; it does not heed our cries." Israel
AKP seeks to 'legalize' PKK peace talks Turkey’s ruling party has drafted a bill that puts the peace process with the PKK in a legal framework, which is also seen as a means for the AKP to win Kurdish support in the August presidential elections. Turkey
