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
From Tahrir to Taksim The awakening of the silent majority in Istanbul might signal to Israelis that not all of the Turkish people support the policies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Israel
Hamdallah’s Complicated Job As Palestinian Prime Minister An Najah University President Rami Hamdallah may find that he is a placeholder in an ultimately thankless job. Palestine
Palestinians Not Counting On Kerry's $4 Billion The Palestinian leadership insists on negotiations based on the 1967 borders. Palestine
Egypt’s Supreme Court Rules Against Shura Council Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court declares the Shura Council and Constituent Assembly unconstitutional. Egypt
Iranian Candidates Vie For 'Party of the Wind' Presidential candidates are jockeying for position among Iran’s political factions and for the unpredictable swing vote. Iran
Gunmen Attack Convoy Of Syrian Cargo Trucks in Iraq Al-Qaeda in Iraq may be behind an attack on four cargo trucks carrying highly flammable material from Iraq to Syria on June 2. Iraq
Israeli Settlers Escalate Violence Against Palestinians Settler violence against Palestinians, including reprisal attacks, has risen in the aftermath of the stabbing death of an Israeli settler. Palestine
Turkish Spring? Turks takes to the streets to protest the policies of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Palestinian Christians Surprised To Receive Travel Permits When Palestinian Christians suddenly received unsolicited three-month travel permits, they and the Catholic leaders were surprised and worried. Palestine
Erdogan Weakened By Protests Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's government will survive the protests, but what these uprisings may mean at the ballot box still remain unclear. Turkey
Young Female Egyptian Musicians Break Barriers While Umm Kulthum will always be a national treasure, a crop of Egyptian female artists are challenging the old sound and style. Egypt
