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
Netanyahu accused of spying on own staff Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lives in constant fear of eavesdropping, digging a destructive chasm between his office and Israel's security services. Israel
Upcoming protests will test Hamas' ability to calm Gaza Hamas would have to end both the rocket fire and the border demonstrations to achieve a real truce with Israel. Palestine
Tunisia faces calls for government reshuffle Tunisia has had eight governments since the 2011 revolution, and political parties are now calling for yet another government reshuffle and for the removal of Prime Minister Youssef Chahed. Tunisia
Trump missing piece in Putin’s Syria plan The Russian president needs the United States to stabilize Syria, but expects sanctions relief in return. Israel
US hopes for a quick Syria exit run into a minefield in Raqqa The Donald Trump administration faces significant hurdles getting the centerpiece of its reconstruction efforts back on track. Syria
Moscow updates playbook on making Israel, Iran happy Russia faces the conundrum of figuratively finding common ground between Iran and Israel in Syria while literally keeping distance between them. Israel
Concern mounts as coalition forces advance on key Yemeni port Has the United States lifted its “red light” on an Emirati- and Saudi-backed military operation to take the key Yemeni port? Saudi Arabia
Meet Iran’s likely next hardliner-in-chief Iranian hard-liners appear set to be led by a new yet seasoned face, Mohammad-Mahdi Mir-Baqeri. Iran
Turkey's steel wars heat up While gearing up for countermeasures against US steel tariffs, Turkey faces a fresh challenge from regional steel producers who are increasingly targeting its own market. Turkey
Disputes over election results threaten conflict in Iraq's Kirkuk Kirkuk has witnessed major political and security tensions since the elections on May 12, which may cause an ethnic crisis between Arabs, Kurds and Turkmens. Iraq
Iraqi parties intensify calls to challenge election results Some Iraqi political parties are challenging the results of recent parliamentary elections, citing fraud and faulty electronic voting technology, but those who support the election results say a vote recount could lead to a civil war. Iraq
Middle Eastern artists give traditional art a modern twist Bahraini weaving, Palestinian embroidery and Iraqi miniatures are among the traditional art forms being reinvented and adapted by the Middle Eastern artists competing for the fifth edition of the Jameel Prize. Palestine
