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
Iraqi Sheikh Faces Divisions Within Sunni Community Sheikh Abdul-Malik al-Saadi seeks to balance support for protests with opposition to a Sunni federal region in Iraq. Iraq
Egypt Accuses Islamic Jihad Of Arms Smuggling in Sinai Egypt's army has for the first time accused the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad of armed involvement in the Sinai. Palestine
Tamarod's Gaza Campaign Denounced by Fellow Activists Palestinian activists under the name of Tamarod have distanced themselves from another Tamarod group in Gaza's calls to overthrow the Hamas government. Palestine
Middle East Alliances More Tangled Than Ever The alliances of regional countries are based on seemingly contradictory interests. Iraq
Turkey’s Policies Defied By Latest Twists in Syria Turkey seems to be on the wrong side of events in Egypt and Syria. Egypt
UNIFIL, Hezbollah Prepare For Possible Syria Strike Having cooperated for decades in southern Lebanon, both UNIFIL forces and Hezbollah are preparing for the repercussions of US-led military action in Syria. Lebanon
Is Bahrain's Fate Tied to Syrian War? Bahrain's opposing forces are jostling for power ahead of a possible US strike on Syria, with the government hopeful that a weakened Syrian regime will work in their favor. Bahrain
Oslo Accords Offer Lessons After Twenty-Year 'Interim' The failures of the Oslo experience should inform the restarted Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Palestine
Turks on Syria Border Oppose US Military Strike Many Turkish residents of the border town of Reyhanli — hit by twin car bombings May 11 — worry that they are in jeopardy as a result of a US miltiary strike on Syria. Syria
Obama Administration Should Stop Conflating Syria, Iran The Obama administration is risking a breakthrough with Iran in its rhetoric on Syria. Syria
Sinai Tribal Leader Rejects Gaza Buffer Zone The head of the Sinai Tribes Union has thrown his support behind Gaza as Egypt's army tightens its blockade on the Hamas-ruled territory. Palestine
Remembering the Failures Of the Yom Kippur War The legacy of "failure" in the Yom Kippur War still affects Israel's political and military leadership. Egypt
