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
Meet Iraq’s new Cabinet Most of new Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's Cabinet members are technocrats with long histories of working in their areas of expertise, with no or little affiliation with political parties. Iraq
Turkey throttles water as pandemic looms over northeast Syria Western nongovernmental organizations confirm that the water supply from the Alok pumping station has been repeatedly interrupted since the Turkish offensive. Syria
Netanyahu’s future coalition, without the settlers? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got the recommendation of 72 Knesset members for him to form and lead Israel’s next government, but the list does not include the signatures of his allies from the Yamina party. Palestine
With virus numbers low, Turkey turns to ailing lira Nearly 83,000 people in Turkey have recovered from the novel coronavirus but as the government touts its success on the public health front, another fire has ignited: a record low in the lira as foreign investors flee. Turkey
New police unit to enforce Saudi Arabia’s latest virus restrictions The country's Interior Ministry also announced a new round of hefty fines for quarantine violators. Saudi Arabia
Qatar Airways seeks billions in loans The Gulf carrier that has continued to fly during the pandemic crisis previously announced it was cutting jobs. Qatar
Intel: US renews waiver for Iraq to import Iranian electricity after Kadhimi forms government The Donald Trump administration on Wednesday announced that the United States will renew a sanctions waiver for Iraq to continue importing Iranian electricity shortly after Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi managed to form a new government following months of political gridlock. Iraq
Rights group criticizes arrests in Palestinian territories Amnesty International said Palestinian authorities arrested five people in March and April without proper cause. Palestine
Jailed musician dies after nearly yearlong hunger strike in Turkey Grup Yorum's Ibrahim Gokcek died two days after suspending his “death fast." Turkey
Iran’s coronavirus cases jump 50% three weeks after country reopens Iran’s total coronavirus cases have jumped 50% after taking measures to open up the country. Iran
Pentagon report: US military killed 132 civilians in conflicts in 2019 While the number is lower than independent monitors claim, some have still recognized the report as a step forward in accountability. United States
Israel demands UN expand peacekeeping mission in Lebanon Ahead of the renewal for the UNIFIL mandate this summer, and with tensions at the border increasing, Israel wants rules in place so that UN peacekeepers can be more effective. Israel
