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
How Netanyahu’s nuclear 'show' could harm Mossad While revelations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Iranian nuclear program exposed Tehran's lies about past efforts to reach nuclear capacity, they also revealed involuntarily that Iran has obeyed the 2015 accord. Israel
Egypt establishes sovereign fund The Egyptian government has moved to establish a sovereign fund as part of reforms intended to boost the economy and shrink unemployment. Egypt
Trump administration sides with Morocco in Western Sahara dispute The Donald Trump administration pushed a UN resolution that is tough on the Algeria-backed Polisario Front. Morocco
Europe says Bibi’s ‘atomic archive’ pitch proves need for Iran deal European powers and Russia said Israel’s claimed seizure of documents from Iran’s shuttered nuclear weapons research program proves the need for 2015 Iran nuclear deal. Israel
Five trends to watch in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections Lebanon's upcoming parliamentary elections still have the potential to surprise, as political giants aim to solidify their grip on power and as retired military officers make the leap to politics. Lebanon
Turks mark May Day far from traditional rallying site The Turkish authorities have arrested dozens of protesters for violating a ban on May 1 demonstrations at Istanbul’s Taksim Square. Turkey
Iran pushes for transparency to deal with currency instability While Iran’s push for transparency is positive, its new integrated system for hard currency transactions seems ill-prepared to manage the complexities of the Iranian currency market. Iran
Pompeo's meeting with Turkish FM fails to calm tensions Mike Pompeo's first meeting as secretary of state with his Turkish counterpart failed to bring a breakthrough in Ankara-Washington ties, as the Syrian city of Manbij remains a potential flashpoint in relations between Turkey and the United States. Turkey
Iran: Netanyahu's claims 'childish' attempt to influence Trump Iranian officials reacted to Israeli allegations about Tehran’s nuclear program, warning Israel against “conspiracies” against Iran and “dangerous behavior.” Israel
Iraq's Yazidis resume pilgrimages to sacred temple Thousands of Yazidis have returned to observe the Yazidi New Year in Lalish, where they gather olives and firewood to perform religious duties in the temple. Iraq
For Netanyahu, Israel’s only problem is Iran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pretends the Iranian threat is the only problem that Israel faces. Israel
Did Erdogan's men ask ex-president not to run? Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his top brass have not denied reports that he sent his spokesman and the chief of general staff to talk former President Abdullah Gul out of running in the upcoming presidential race. Turkey
