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
Not all PA civil servants in Gaza want jobs back Around 3,000 public servants in Gaza are scheduled to return to their government posts as part of the April reconciliation deal between Fatah and Hamas, providing more opportunities for the unemployed — but some of them prefer their second jobs. Palestine
Iranian analyst: 'Who entrusted Iran with destroying Israel?' For the second time on national media, outspoken analyst Sadegh Zibakalam has publicly criticized Iran’s rhetoric on Israel. Iran
Former UN Syria envoy says Iran plan on Syria 'worth discussing' In his first interview since resigning as the UN-Arab League special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi reflects on the reasons for the failure of the Geneva process and the prospects for a political solution in Syria. Syria
Turkey’s Erdogan problem Events in Turkey since the March 30 elections have seen problems mostly of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s making. Turkey
Islamic extremism on rise in Jordan The Islamists in Jordan are growing stronger, which is linked to the war in Syria. Jordan
In mining tragedy, Erdogan doesn't learn from past mistakes Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s disastrous response to the Soma mining tragedy reflects a narrow and defensive approach to politics. Turkey
US should test Iran on Syria The United States and Iran can build on shared interests in combating al-Qaeda and terrorist groups, disarmament of Syria’s chemical weapons and opening humanitarian aid corridors. Syria
Saudi invitation a first step with Iran Resolving the problems that mar Saudi-Iran relations remain out of reach for now, but Saudi Arabia’s invitation to the Iranian foreign minister to visit the kingdom is an opportunity to calm tensions. Saudi Arabia
Erdogan under pressure over threat to Tatars in Ukraine Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is boxed in by a looming civil war in Ukraine and an intractable conflict in Syria. Syria
Netanyahu focused on stopping Rivlin's bid for president Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to believe that only a new law, guaranteeing that the head of the biggest party is mandated to form the government, will secure his seat next time around. Israel
IDF killing of Palestinians on Nakba Day a warning The failure of diplomatic negotiations undermines the Palestinians' motivation to maintain security coordination with the IDF, as was the case in the shooting at the Bitunia checkpoint, where two Palestinians were killed. Palestine
Poor Tel Aviv neighborhood mourns soccer defeat Impoverished south Tel Aviv residents felt like there had been a death in the family the day after the Bnei Yehuda soccer team suffered a defeat that relegated it to Israel’s second-tier National League. Israel
