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
Foreign Ministry rescues Israelis stranded abroad during pandemic The Israeli Foreign Ministry, after being sidelined for years by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sees its vital role recognized as diplomats bring back young Israelis stranded abroad during the coronavirus crisis. Israel
As coronavirus spreads to Gaza, Israel can offer little The nightmare scenario of the coronavirus reaching the Gaza Strip has become a reality, with Israel and Palestinians fearing a mega-catastrophe in the most crowded spot on earth. Qatar
Gantz opts for a coronavirus government By candidating for the job of Knesset speaker, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz gave the sign that he is willing to join a Netanyahu-led unity government. Israel
Israel's highest court steps in to force Knesset into action After Knesset speaker Yuli Edelstein defied the Israeli Supreme Court's order to hold a vote for his replacement, the court appointed a temporary speaker to do the job. Israel
Implementation of curfew to fight COVID-19 proves difficult in Iraq Although the Iraqi government has taken strict measures to fight the coronavirus, the security forces face great challenges from curfew violators. Iraq
Jordan’s king waives rent to Jerusalem Waqf property owners King Abdullah II has ordered the waiver of rental payments to all Jerusalemites renting from the Islamic Waqf until the end of the year. Palestine
Egypt to offer investors shares in military-run companies Egypt’s Sovereign Fund is assessing military-run companies in a bid to open them up to domestic and foreign investors. Egypt
Gaza students embrace e-learning to avoid coronavirus COVID-19 has forced schools and universities in the Palestinian territories to shut down, prompting the Gaza Ministry of Education and Higher Education to promote e-learning. Palestine
Egypt releases political prisoners amid coronavirus outbreak The Egyptian authorities released opposition figures from prison amid calls to free activists for fear of a coronavirus outbreak inside prisons. Egypt
Coronavirus forces Lebanese protesters into new posture Anti-government protests have largely subsided in Lebanon due to government measures aimed at containing the spread of the novel coronavirus, but some activists continue to spread the message and are optimistic about the movement's future. Lebanon
Archive Upfront from Mar 26, 2020 Turkey appears to want more than Syria’s oil Like Moscow and Washington, Ankara seems to be coveting the oilfields of Deir ez-Zor in Syrian Kurdistan, which Kurds fear would give Turkey an opening to take over the entire Rojava area. Syria
Intel: Pompeo calls on Syria to release US prisoners amid coronavirus fears Secretary of State Mike Pompeo today urged President Bashar al-Assad to release all “arbitrarily detained” Syrians and US citizens amid fears that the coronavirus pandemic is primed to rapidly take hold and spread throughout the war-torn country. Originals
