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
Iran claims US started latest Persian Gulf confrontation In today's Iran media review, the IRGC alleges the United States started the latest incident in the Persian Gulf and threatens to target US ships if Washington targets Iran's. United States
Dubai relaxes its coronavirus lockdown for Ramadan Dubai will relax its strict coronavirus lockdown to allow movement without permission for much of the day during the Muslim holy month. United Arab Emirates
NGO: Most refugees in Lebanon lack soap after refugee tests positive for coronavirus The International Rescue Committee's survey was released after a Palestinian refugee in Lebanon tested positive for the virus. Palestine
Dubai Expo 2020 likely to be postponed until October 2021 COVID-19 has put on hold the highly anticipated Dubai Expo 2020; it still is to take place, but most likely not until a year later than planned. United Arab Emirates
Cairo-Beijing ties strong amid surge of anti-China sentiment in Egypt Egyptian-Chinese relations appear to be unshaken after an Egyptian lawyer filed a lawsuit against China for damages due to the coronavirus. Egypt
New US restrictions on WHO, Houthis lead to COVID-19 puzzle in Yemen While the Donald Trump administration is considering increasing its COVID-19 support for Yemen after slashing millions in aid, its new restrictions on the World Health Organization poses significant logistical challenges. Yemen
Turks mark major holiday under virus lockdown A four-day curfew has Turkey locked down as health workers battle an outbreak that has now exceeded 100,000 cases. Turkey
Israel rebuffs EU over criticizing West Bank annexation goal Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz took issue with EU foreign representative Josep Borrell warning against possible annexationist policies of a new Israeli government despite his not obtaining the backing of all European Union states. Palestine
Iran summons Swiss ambassador, threatens US warships over Trump tweet Iran has summoned the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, who represents US interests, over recent escalations in the Gulf. Iran
Iraq's health system meets the challenge of coronavirus Coronavirus inflections in Iraq are decreasing, prompting the government to gradually ease the curfew and lockdown. Iraq
New joint UAE airline venture receives permission to fly amid coronavirus downturn Air Arabia Abu Dhabi, an independent partnership between Air Arabia and Etihad, received its air operating license on April 23. United Arab Emirates
Intel: Trump calls on Qatar to work toward resolving Gulf dispute President Donald Trump has asked Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to take steps to resolve the ongoing dispute with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE, which blockaded Qatar in 2017. Legacy: Gulf
