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
Israeli Politicians Address Gay Pride at Parade Israeli politicians participated in numbers at Friday's Gay Pride Parade in Tel Aviv, but words are not enough and hugs have to be transformed into deeds. Israel
Time to Bid Farewell To Turkey’s 'Muslim Democracy' Taksim resistance inflicted an ideological loss on Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP, making it impossible to continue labeling Turkey as a "Muslim democracy." Turkey
UN Forces in the Golan Perpetuate Israeli Occupation The withdrawal of the Austrian UNDOF forces from the Golan Heights should remind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the UN is not in charge of Israel's security in an occupied territory. Israel
Erdogan Opts for War Why does Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan opt for confrontation rather than reconciliation? Turkey
Hamas' Iranian Stockpiles Falling By supporting the Syrian rebels, Hamas might have jeopardized for good its relations with its main weapon supplier Iran. Palestine
The Religious Voice of the Chapuls The Anti-Capitalist Muslims have emerged as the most extraordinary group in the Gezi Park protests, legitimizing the revolt in religious quarters. Turkey
Iranian Activism Abroad Mirrors Low-Key Election Campaign Iranians in the US and Europe try to mobilize support for free and fair elections to highlight restrictions in Iran's June 14 presidential vote. Iran
Iraqi Kurdistan Struggles With Environmental Policies Facing drought, sandstorms and other factors contributing to the deterioration of its natural environment, the Iraqi Kurdistan Region is working to document and protect its ecosystem. Iraq
Are Cross-Sectarian Alliances Possible in Iraq? Following months of escalating sectarian tension across Iraq, both popular and political, some are beginning to explore the viability of forging political alliances that transcend sectarian divisions. Iraq
Ennahda: Deal With Salafists Using Dialogue, Not Force Noureddine Arbaoui, the political relations officer for the Tunisian Ennahda movement, speaks about the party’s successes and challenges. Originals
New Palestinian Prime Minister Faces Old Problems Reconciliation and the fight over representation from the city of Hebron complicate the agenda of newly sworn-in Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah. Palestine
