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
Candidates' past ties to Saddam create uproar in Iraq's Kurdistan Region Despite the Kurdistan Regional Government's strong rhetoric against Saddam Hussein and his collaborators, several Kurdish figures who worked with the former Iraqi president's Baath regime are participating in the upcoming elections. Iraq
Will escalation in Iran-US tensions impact Syria conflict? With tension between the United States and Iran rapidly increasing, northern and eastern Syria could witness an upsurge in proxy clashes between parties backed by each side. Syria
Former Brotherhood official hopes new initiative will bridge Egypt's social rifts Former spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood, Kamal Halbawi, has launched an initiative to mend the social rift in Egypt. Will it be successful? Egypt
Turkish opposition motto comes from unexpected contributor: Erdogan Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that he will step down if the people say "Enough" gave the opposition the best slogan for the June 24 snap elections. Turkey
Is Israel’s veteran political power couple making comeback? Despite past quarrels, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman seem very close and coordinated on Iran, Syria and other issues. Israel
Besieged Syrians, with reasons to stay and reasons to leave The most recent massive displacements and a new property law in Syria are making it even less likely that many refugees and internally displaced persons will ever be able to go back to their hometowns. Syria
Tunisia's military votes for first time in 62 years Tunisian military and security personnel voted in Tunisia's first local elections since the 2011 revolution, but some are worried that this could lead to the military becoming too political. Tunisia
Europe fears Trump, Netanyahu encouraging Iran's hard-liners The European Union fears that the positions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump could generate an all-out war with Iran. Israel
Israel expels Human Rights Watch advocacy director Human rights groups fear that the Israeli government’s reaction to criticism of the occupation has a negative impact on all of Israeli society, and that freedom of speech and thought are no longer a guiding light in the country. Palestine
Where have those displaced from Syria's Douma gone? A new refugee camp was established on the outskirts of al-Bel village to accommodate opposition fighters from Jaish al-Islam, as well as their family members and other civilians, who fled Douma. Syria
Will top Palestinian official's resignation crack Fatah unity? Top Fatah official Nasser al-Qudwa submitted his resignation from the Fatah Central Committee in protest against the results of events at the Palestinian National Council meeting April 30-May 3. Palestine
Sinai Trail leads to new tourism experience in Egypt To boost tourism, eight South Sinai tribes have joined together to create a long-distance hiking trail that crosses South Sinai. Egypt
