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
Cyprus bids farewell to 'ecumenical' Sufi Sheikh Nazim Qubrusi, who died at 92, was a colorful Sufi leader who spread the Naqshbandi order to the West and eased emotional barriers on long-divided Cyprus. Turkey
Syrian government ponders post-election scenarios As the June 3 presidential elections approach in Syria, the government considers how domestic and internal actors will react to the expected re-election of President Bashar Al-Assad. Syria
Former ICC prosecutor says Palestinians can join court In an interview with Al-Monitor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, former chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, says that Palestinian membership in the court is possible, but could also open up Palestinian authorities to prosecution. Palestine
Rouhani says 'We will not accept scientific or nuclear apartheid' Before the nuclear negotiations resume this week, Iran's supreme leader, speaker of parliament and president all gave speeches about Iran's priorities in the negotiations. Iran
Israel rejects accusations of spying on US Committed never to spy on American soil, some Israeli officials consider the espionage accusations as politically motivated to damage Israel-US relations. Israel
What can we learn from Homs? Given the collapse of the Geneva process, and the Syrian government’s staying power, localized cease-fires may be the latest trend in the conflict. Iraq
What would Sisi's presidency look like? What we've learned about how Egypt's leading presidential candidate may run the country. Egypt
Israel makes its case on Iranian enrichment Israel is making its case to US officials to allow Iran only the most minimal nuclear enrichment in the context of negotiations of a comprehensive nuclear agreement. Israel
Iran’s top prosecutor calls for revisions in use of death penalty Iran’s top prosecutor recommends reconsidering the cases of smaller drug offenders to address the high level of executions in the country. Iran
Turkey, Qatar strengthen economic ties Turkey is again stepping up relations with Qatar by adding cultural and commercial links to their political collaboration in the international arena. Qatar
Iraqi elections will not be decisive While some Iraqi politicians and media outlets tried to portray last month’s elections as “decisive” or “a matter of life and death,” they are merely one part of a long, democratic process. Iraq
Turkish inflation rate rises to record levels Higher-than-expected inflation in April makes it harder for Turkey’s Central Bank to lower interest rates as the government wishes, rekindling a long-standing controversy in the country. Turkey
