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
Palestinian, American Christians meet in Bethlehem The unity between Christians from abroad and fellow Christians in Palestine gives Palestinians hope they can stay put on their land. Palestine
Will Hamas, Israel reach a truce agreement? Palestinians fear that the recent influx of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip could force Hamas to pay exorbitant political costs that could harm the Palestinian cause and pave the way for approval of the US “deal of the century” that they categorically reject. Palestine
Arab towns in Israel witness increased crime, violence against women The crime rate in the Palestinian towns of Israel is on the rise and likely to continue, as Israeli security forces face accusations of not enforcing their laws there and letting the perpetrators roam free. Palestine
Is Trump really so popular in Israel? Contrary to the popular belief that all Israelis applaud US President Donald Trump's policies, center and left-wing politicians worry that the Trump-Netanyahu axis distances an agreement with the Palestinians and isolates Israel on Iran. Palestine
Netanyahu breathes easier as ultra-Orthodox draft crisis cools Israel's ultra-Orthodox draft crisis seems likely to be resolved, leaving the governing coalition intact until the next scheduled elections. Israel
Can Egypt’s Central Bank save thousands of faltering factories? The Egyptian Central Bank launched a new initiative to save more than 5,000 faltering factories by repaying their loans. Egypt
Is it true that Afrin's natives can't go home again? The battle appears to be over in Afrin, Syria, but a war of words, and worse, continues there as the Kurdish People’s Protection Units accuse the Turkish army and its affiliated militias of forcing demographic change. Syria
Iran to ban new high-water consumption industry in dry regions Iran is moving to address water usage by its industry, but such measures won't be effective unless use of water in agriculture is tackled too. Iran
Turkey's opposition unites to fend off election fraud A wide array of Turkish opposition groups has announced the formation of an alliance to ensure the hotly contested upcoming elections are run fairly. Turkey
How Israel’s ongoing violation of Oslo Accord threatens security Under the pretext of security interests, the IDF violates the Oslo Accord nearly every night by entering West Bank areas nominally under Palestinian control, humiliating Palestinian police and threatening ongoing security cooperation. Palestine
Adviser to Iran's supreme leader outlines steps to boost nuclear program A key adviser to Iran’s supreme leader outlined a number of recommendations Iran should take to advance its nuclear program capabilities. United States
Is Turkey headed for IMF bailout? An increasing number of observers see an inevitable prospect of Turkey seeking an IMF bailout, yet the country is not on its beam-ends yet and the outcome of the June 24 polls will bear on its ability to keep its economy afloat without going to the IMF. Turkey
