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
Why is Ankara pouring Turkish liras into Syria? Taking advantage of Syria’s currency havoc, Ankara has funneled Turkish liras into “liberated” areas in northern Syria, but any plan to fully sideline the Syrian pound in those areas appears unrealistic. Syria
Israel OK's transfer of Qatari financial aid to Gaza Israel approved the transfer of $50 million to the Gaza Strip, apparently in exchange for Hamas keeping calm and refraining from resuming incendiary balloon terrorism. Qatar
Palestinian activists press solidarity between Palestinians, Black Lives Matter Palestinians raised photos of Iyad al-Hallaq, an autistic Palestinian shot by Israeli police, and George Floyd to make a comparison between racism against black people and Palestinians. Palestine
Egypt’s military companies seek private investments The Egyptian military seeks to expand investments in partnership with the private sector, thus crowding out civilian-run companies, amid the economic recession due to the coronavirus crisis. Egypt
New Houthi bylaw sparks controversy over classism, familial 'supremacy' in Yemen Yemen’s Houthi movement introduced a bylaw stipulating that citizens pay an obligatory tax to the purported descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, raising the ire of opponents who argue that such a move promotes racism and classism in Yemeni society. Yemen
Will Covid-19 put an end to hookah culture in Egypt? Once a symbol of Egypt’s cafes and mentioned through history, hookahs are slowly disappearing from society amid the closure of cafes across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Egypt
Tribes become more involved in anti-terrorism operations in Sinai Peninsula Reports have emerged about an agreement between tribal leaders and Egyptian security forces to hand over members of Islamic State in exchange for pardons. Egypt
Black Lives Matter protests in US spark mixed reactions in Egypt Protests in the United States have drawn mixed reactions in Egypt, with government supporters and the media portraying them as anarchy and pro-democracy activists eyeing them with nostalgia and a sense of deja vu. Egypt
Despite Abbas cutting ties, security lines remain open between Israel, PA Now that coordination with Israel has officially ended, the Palestinian security agencies are sharing indirect messages with their Israeli counterparts. Palestine
Israel’s government approves funding for Trump Heights settlement One year after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the establishment of Trump Heights settlement in the Golan Heights, the Cabinet approves an initial construction budget. Israel
Lebanon to reopen Beirut airport July 1 Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, which grounded flights March 18, will reopen next month with reduced air traffic. Lebanon
Ethiopian military leader calls out Egypt over Nile dam dispute Ethiopia's deputy army chief said his country can "conduct war" as talks continue. Egypt
