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
Israel’s new foreign minister endorses Trump’s plan, mindful on annexation Israel’s new Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi calls to advance the Trump administration plan, but is careful not to call advancing annexation moves. Palestine
Will Libya cheer up Erdogan? Ill-calculated moves by rebel commander Khalifa Hifter have played into the hands of Turkey and its allies in the Libyan conflict, leading to the fall of a strategic air base in al-Wattiya; however, the situation is still volatile, and it is early to declare a victory. Turkey
Israeli opposition just as fractured as coalition Though the Joint List won 15 Knesset seats in the March elections, the new unity government leaves it on the opposition benches once again. Israel
Egypt steps up crackdown on journalists as world celebrates press freedom As the world celebrated World Press Freedom Day, journalists in Egypt were being subjected to an arrest campaign by Egyptian security forces, while the authorities banned the use of pseudonyms. Egypt
Arab councils in Israel on strike over pandemic, economic crisis Heads of Israeli-Arab local councils say they have no choice but to strike because no one in the government is listening to them. Israel
Pakistan calls for tighter security on Iran border following fatal attack While Iran and Pakistan have made significant progress on improving border security and stopping smugglers, a recent attack on Pakistani soldiers shows that much remains to be done. Iran
Israel’s 'annexation government' sworn in The new Netanyahu-Gantz unity government, which was sworn in May 17, is already facing controversy over Prime Minister Netanyahu's focus on rushing annexation of parts of the West Bank. Israel
Israel counting on European friends to thwart EU sanctions Israeli diplomats are engaging with European Union members considered more friendly to Israel in order to thwart attempts to punish Israel over annexation plans. Palestine
The not-so-sacred profit bonanza of Syria's jihadi groups Economic gains have been at the core of clashes between rebel groups in Syria’s Idlib and Turkish-controlled regions that Syrian rebels describe as “liberated” areas. Syria
Jordan's King Abdullah warns of 'massive conflict' if Israel annexes West Bank The king stopped short of saying he would cancel Jordan's peace treaty with Israel in an interview with German media. Palestine
2 more COVID-19 infections reported on Greek island housing refugees The number of coronavirus cases among migrants on Lesbos rises to four, raising fears of a large outbreak in the Greek island's overcrowded camps. Turkey
In shadow of COVID-19, US-led battle against Islamic State continues A Pentagon report declares the Islamic State a "low-level insurgency" as the United States and Iraq prepare for strategic dialogue. Iraq
