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
Iraqi politicians look to calm tensions in wake of US withdrawal from Iran deal The US withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal poses questions about the role of the Iran-backed Shiite armed factions in bringing the US-Iranian confrontation into Iraq. Iraq
Can Iraq's Sadr swing nonsectarian government? Muqtada al-Sadr, whose alliance got the most votes in the May 12 elections, has been meeting with leaders of other alliances in the hope of forming form a nonsectarian "national" government that includes all components of Iraqi society. Iraq
Protests, arrests as Cairo metro fares skyrocket Sudden and drastic price hikes have upset the millions of Egyptians who depend on the Cairo metro every day. Egypt
Syria's Afrin rebuilds, welcoming back displaced citizens Municipal services have resumed in Afrin, Syria, two months after the Free Syrian Army, backed by the Turkish army, took control of the city. Syria
Troubling tactics of the Israeli Police The arrest and injury of Arab Israeli activist Jafar Farah raises questions about police brutality and the use of arrest as a deterrent. Israel
Israeli architects dissect flashpoint structures in Venice The curators say that their goal in creating this year’s Israeli architectural exhibit for the Venice Biennale was to offer up an honest and evocative model of five flashpoint Middle Eastern sites. Palestine
Morocco-Algeria tensions flare over claims of Hezbollah support to Polisario Morocco’s accusation that Hezbollah and Iran are plotting against it with the Polisario Front has escalated tension with Algeria. Lebanon
America’s hawkish turn on Iran threatens Gulf alliance Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s new Iran policy announcement could have repercussions on US efforts to save the Gulf Cooperation Council. Legacy: Gulf
Pompeo outlines ‘maximum pressure’ plan for Iran Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the United States would rally the world to impose crippling economic pressure on Iran to persuade it to submit to a broad set of demands, or face regime change. United States
Iranian MP: Fate of Iran deal determined in coming weeks The EU’s energy chief traveled to Tehran to meet with Iranian officials regarding saving the nuclear deal. Iran
Erdogan pushes Abbas to reconcile with Hamas Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls for inter-Palestinian reconciliation as part of his attempts to portray himself as the savior of Gaza. Palestine
Israel faces the unknown in post-Abbas era While Israel’s political leadership waits impatiently for the post-Abbas era, the country’s top security experts warn that Israel will miss the Palestinian leader. Palestine
