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
How Syrian opposition is trying to stop coronavirus from reaching its areas The Syrian opposition-led government is penalizing anyone involved in smuggling operations in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus. Syria
Iran's coronavirus stimulus: too little, too late Iran's decision to withdraw 1 billion euros from the country's sovereign wealth fund will do little to boost the economy, already distressed by corruption and the impact of global sanctions. Iran
Shops reopen in Bahrain as government rolls back restrictions Bahrain is allowing stores to reopen if they follow social distancing guidelines but theaters and tourist locations remain closed and food delivery and takeout remain the order of the day for restaurants. Legacy: Gulf
Khamenei blames Western culture, atheism for coronavirus response failings In a rare speech, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei criticized the West for its poor response to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, as cases continue to grow in Iran. United States
Intelligence sharing remains key to fight against IS The Islamic State is continuing to carry out guerrilla attacks; developing and maintaining a comprehensive intelligence picture of the group is seen as an important weapon to keep its militants at bay. Iraq
Iran releases jailed UK resident Aras Amiri on furlough Tehran furloughs an imprisoned woman who had been working for Britain’s cultural outreach agency as Iran's official coronavirus death toll reaches 4,110. Iran
Turkish pandemic plan raises concerns over citizens' digital rights In effort to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus, Ankara launched a mobile app that tracks patients, raising concern among digital privacy advocates. Turkey
Is Oman’s model of governance about to shift? Oman's debts are piling up as oil prices crash, putting at risk its wide-reaching social welfare system. Oman
COVID-19 crisis threatens to double Turkey’s unemployed The coronavirus pandemic has raised the specter of a dramatic spike in unemployment in Turkey, but only a small section of those affected are slated to receive government support. Turkey
Intel: Pompeo, Netanyahu talk coronavirus on Passover Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chatted by phone on Wednesday, the first day of Passover. Israel
Iraq’s president taps intelligence chief to form new government Iraqi President Barham Salih has appointed Mustafa al-Kadhimi, director of Iraq's National Intelligence Service, as Iraq's next prime minister-designate after Adnan Al-Zurfi withdrew his candidacy. Iraq
Lebanon’s coronavirus response is working, yet faces challenges Critics say the Lebanese government's figures are unreliable amid the coronavirus crisis, fearing severe strains on the health care system in case of a major outbreak of the novel virus. Lebanon
