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
Is Lebanon's new recycling project a bunch of garbage? Beirut authorities want to go green to deal with their municipality's ongoing garbage disposal problems, but mismanagement and cross-purposes are hampering the effort before it even gets off the ground. Lebanon
After success with Trump, Bibi has trouble swaying EU on Iran Despite his success swaying the US president, Europeans know that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is skewing the truth about the West Bank occupation just as he falsely accused the Iranians of violating the nuclear agreement. Palestine
Iraqi calligraphers try to revive their art Iraq's recently liberated Anbar province hosted an Islamic calligraphy festival to return the craft to the cultural and artistic forefront. Iraq
Headscarves still rare sight in Egypt's Foreign Ministry Although a majority of Egyptian women wear the hijab, female applicants for staff positions at the Foreign Ministry feel chances are very slim for those who turn up for the qualification exams wearing the veil. Egypt
Egypt targets ‘fake weather’ amid flurry of false forecasts Given the multiple sources issuing weather reports and the confusion they cause among citizens, the Egyptian Meteorological Authority has drafted a bill punishing unauthorized weather forecasts. Egypt
Congress prioritizes smart bombs for Israel despite US shortages US lawmakers are scrambling to defend Israel from rising regional threats. Israel
Iran may use nuclear deal structure to try to isolate US Foreign Minister Zarif has said Iran may file a complaint against Trump’s sanctions violations with the JCPOA’s Joint Commission. United States
Interview Campaigns woo Kurdish voters as Turkish election nears In an interview with Al-Monitor, veteran Kurdish politician Zubeyir Aydar spoke about the fight for the Kurdish vote ahead of Turkey's snap elections. Zubeyir Aydar Former member of Turkey's parliament
Iranians may turn to ‘military president’ as nuclear deal collapses The collapse of the JCPOA could fan political winds in Iran, leading to the rise of a military president. United States
Top Iran officials wary of Europe after US deal withdrawal Iranian officials expressed doubt about reaching an agreement with Europe to keep the JCPOA in place following the US withdrawal. Iran
Was Hezbollah really the winner of Lebanon’s elections? Despite suggestions by the media, Hezbollah does not have the clear upper hand in Lebanon after the May 6 legislative elections. Lebanon
Moscow’s Iraq strategy: Make lots of friends Russia’s approach in Iraq and the region involves comprehensive cooperation with as many players as possible. Iraq
