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
Turkey’s Islamist ‘old guard’ joins Erdogan opponents The National View, the pioneer movement of political Islam in Turkey, has joined the opposition in its efforts to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in next month’s elections. Turkey
Electoral commission attack destabilizes shaky situation in Libya The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the May 2 attack on Libya’s High National Election Commission headquarters in Tripoli, raising more security concerns for the upcoming elections. Libya
Palestinians to partner with Damascus on refugee camp reconstruction Palestinians in Syria are eagerly awaiting the end of hostilities in the Yarmouk refugee camp and its surroundings so the Syrian regime can begin reconstruction in the area. Palestine
Israeli play digs into Hamas tunnel "In the Tunnel," a satirical play by Israel's Gesher Theater, asks its audience to decide every night if there is hope for a solution at the end of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Israel
Netanyahu banks on escalation with Iran The Israeli prime minister expects political windfall from revealing "an open secret" about Iran’s past nuclear program. Israel
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish HDP names jailed leader as presidential candidate Turkey’s top Kurdish leader Selahattin Demirtas, the only person who could deprive President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of his ambition, is officially joining the presidential race from his prison cell. Turkey
In Iran, religious titles lie at heart of political games Despite pushback from senior figures such as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the politicization of clerical ranks in Iran continues unabated. Iran
Turkey gears up military might to host live-fire war games The Ephesus joint combined military exercise — the Turkish military’s most prominent annual display — will reveal much about the operational effectiveness of the country's armed forces in the aftermath of the July 2016 coup attempt. Turkey
Was Abbas' speech at top Palestinian council meeting his last? Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' April 30 PNC speech was widely condemned and faced accusations of anti-Semitism, and it may indicate he no longer feels political restrictions. Palestine
Palestinian succession war heats up after Abbas' controversial speech Senior Fatah leaders have suggested that Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah temporarily fill the role of Palestinian president as a compromise to prevent succession battles between the movement's various factions. Palestine
Preparations in place for Iraqi parliamentary elections Iraqi election officials are keeping a close eye on the voting process this week, as some clerics and activists raise concerns about possible corruption and critics question the reliability of the country's new electronic voting system. Iraq
Saudi Arabia, Iran vie for economic influence in Iraq Saudi Arabia is seeking to enter the Iraqi market aggressively, along with a political presence, and increase the competition with its opponent Iran in the Iraqi arena. Saudi Arabia
