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
Turkey's Velvet Revolution Nothing is predictable in the aftermath of the tempest at Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Turkey
Istanbul Protesters: 'We Are Here For Our Freedom' Protesters in Istanbul declare that the current demonstrations are just a start in expressing frustration over Turkish government policies. Turkey
The Forbidden Libraries Of the Qom Seminary While confiscated and sensitive books are kept hidden from most religious students and scholars in Iran's religious city of Qom, copies have thrived online. Iran
Erdogan Remains Defiant As Istanbul Protest Widens It began with May Day demonstrations in Taksim Square that were suppressed by the government. A month later, and the protest has spread across Turkey. Turkey
Who Are Turkey’s Protesters? The View From Taksim Square An eyewitness report from Taksim Square in Istanbul. Turkey
John Kerry Derails Focus On Syria’s Humanitarian Crisis US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement aligning Syrian rebel interests with Israel’s strategic concerns is a serious flaw. Lebanon
Turks Rally Against Erdogan Rule A protest that started with 500 people on Monday, May 27, turned into a seeming revolt against Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey
Obama Administration Quick To Chide Iran on Elections The Obama administration will not withhold its criticism if Iran cracks down during its presidential elections. Iran
Cold Start in Tehran As Elections Heat Up Excitement over Iran's presidential election is missing, despite election day being two weeks away. Iran
Shiite Holiday Raises Fears Of More Bombings in Baghdad With the approach of a Shiite holiday expected to bring observers to the capital, authorities worry that the recent wave of car bombings will grow. Iraq
Syrian External Opposition Says No Deal With Assad Syria's external opposition rules out talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while internal opposition forces consider negotiations. Lebanon
