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 freedom of expression at stake in Tunisia? There are growing concerns in Tunisia over the declining freedom of expression, Tunisian authorities' crackdown on bloggers and the Nidaa Tunis draft law on electronic defamation. Tunisia
Battle erupts over Israeli High Court’s independence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has no qualms about threatening Israel’s democracy by advancing a bill bypassing High Court rulings. Israel
Curbing inflation tops Sisi’s list of economic priorities With Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi securing a second term, many economists are still wondering how to deal with inflation and soaring prices, while questioning the future of the armed forces' participation in the economy. Egypt
Russia seeks to extend role in Mideast peace beyond Syria Moscow faces many challenges in its efforts to help resolve Palestinian issues, especially as Israel rejects any mediator other than the United States and Egypt continues to be the sole sponsor of intra-Palestinian reconciliation. Palestine
IDF falls into Hamas’ trap on Gaza border It took Israel three weeks to understand what was evident from the beginning: that only restraint could minimize the number of casualties on the Gaza border fence. Palestine
Liberal US Jews recruit Democrats from all sides in anti-Trump fight Seeking to capitalize on growing partisan backlash to President Donald Trump’s Middle East policies, the liberal Jewish lobbying group J Street has formed a surprising alliance with one of the Senate’s fiercest pro-Israel advocates. Palestine
Joint Syria strikes build US-EU trust ahead of critical Iran deadline With the UK and France joining the United States in strikes over Syria’s chemical weapons use, trust is growing between the Trump and European national security teams ahead of a key May deadline on the Iran nuclear deal. Syria
Soccer mirrors politics in polarized Turkey Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's promotion of a soccer team that subscribes to conservative Islamic values has more so polarized fans than won them over. Turkey
Egyptian women replace smoking with qatrouna In Upper Egypt, while men come together for shisha, women relax by chewing a mix of tobacco and tar — yet health professionals warn of the many dangers. Egypt
Rural areas southwest of Kirkuk grapple with fears of IS sleeper cells The Fatha road snakes behind the heavily damaged Beiji oil refinery, crossing between the low-altitude Hamreen and Makhoul mountain ranges into an area of okra fields and mullahs who fear Islamic State (IS) sleeper cells. Iraq
Russia takes low-key approach to West's strike on Syria The United States and Russia appear to have coordinated with each other on how to minimize repercussions from the Syrian strike. Syria
Why so many Turks are losing faith in Islam Turkish politicians and media outlets have been discussing why so many young people are opting for “deism” at a time when Islam seems more ascendant than ever. Turkey
