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
Gazan medical masks make a statement Gazan artists use masks, sand sculptures and performance art to create awareness on social isolation and protection during the coronavirus pandemic. Palestine
Intel: Trump tasks Pompeo with determining whether to lift Cyprus arms embargo Donald Trump tapped Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to determine whether to lift the decades-old US arms embargo on the disputed island of Cyprus, something Turkey has sought to forestall. Turkey
Dubai to reopen some food stores to pre-Ramadan shoppers UAE grocers will be allowed to briefly reopen ahead of Ramadan, with stores subject to social distancing and sanitation inspection. United Arab Emirates
Coronavirus resurging in Iran hotspots amid partial reopening At least three Iranian provinces are experiencing a resurgence of the coronavirus after the government partially relaxed lockdown measures. Iran
Turkey to release thousands of prisoners as coronavirus sweeps through jails As COVID-19 ravages Turkish prisons, Ankara is pushing forward a law that will reduce the prison population by a third. Turkey
Cloud of doubt surrounds coronavirus figures reported by Iraqi government There is great skepticism in Iraqi society and in the media about the government’s statistics of how many people have been infected by and died from the coronavirus. Iraq
Israeli annexation talks threaten ties with Arab world The Israeli annexation discourse bolsters radical elements in the Arab world and undermines the moderates, thus threatening Israeli aspirations for diplomatic relations and commercial ties. Palestine
Extended lockdown brings more burdens for Syrian Kurds Residents in the Kurdish-controlled areas in Syria are criticizing the autonomous administration’s lockdown measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, in the absence of alternative sources of income. Syria
Will coronavirus crisis spur Hamas-Israel swap deal? Hamas has recently announced its readiness to make concessions in the prisoner swap deal with Israel, pushing mediators to communicate and reactivate the dossier that has been on hold for the past five years. Palestine
Is coronavirus good for health of Turkish-US relations? The coronavirus could offer Recep Tayyip Erdogan an opportunity to defer a fresh crisis with Washington over the Russian S-400 air defense systems, which he had pledged to activate in April but whose cost has now grown on multiple fronts. Turkey
Stigma spreads alongside COVID-19 in Egypt Fear of the novel coronavirus pandemic has led to discrimination and even bullying in Egypt. Egypt
The show must go on: Egypt's Ramadan soap operas defy COVID-19 Egyptian production teams are racing against time to complete the TV shows they hope will bring some Ramadan cheer to Egyptian and Arab audiences during the crisis. Egypt
