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
As Iran stirs worries, Sisi sets vision for Arab security Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi offers a plan to achieve Arab security and counter threats to the Arab region, to avoid war with Iran. Saudi Arabia
Lebanese mountaineer speaks up for women, children from Everest summit Joyce Azzam became the first Lebanese woman to complete the Seven Summits challenge by climbing Mount Everest, and now she's going back to clean it up and set an example for others. Lebanon
Beneath tough exterior, Putin may be ready to deal on Iran Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to hold all the cards in the region, but is Moscow ready to show its hand? Syria
Iran sticks to 'Look to the East' doctrine amid frustration with Europe As Europeans continue to let it down, Iran is increasingly focused on its "Look to the East" doctrine, grabbing every chance to boost trade with China, India and Japan. Iran
Israel’s religious right plays the merger game Ahead of September elections, Israel’s religious right is busy examining their current positions and alliances and whether to continue with the United Right. Israel
Russia, Iran in tug of war over Syria military reform Moscow and Tehran have disparate views on how the Syrian military should be reformed. Syria
After years of calm, Lebanon’s Tripoli reels from 'lone wolf' terror attack Following an attack in Tripoli that killed four, the Lebanese government admits that it might not prepared to confront "lone wolf" terrorism. Lebanon
Will Arabs in Israel revive Joint List for new elections? Palestinian citizens in Israel lost three seats in the April 10 elections due in large part to the low turnout, which came as a result of apathy and unhappiness about the fact that the united list was divided into two. Israel
Distrust of SDF, unclear future divide Syrian tribal massacre area Al-Monitor traveled to the Shaitat area of Deir ez-Zor, scene of a 2014 massacre in which up to 1,000 mostly men and boys were killed within a few weeks after the tribe rose up against the Islamic State, to understand how the people there are dealing with the Kurdish-led SDF. Syria
Egypt's hand appears in play behind scenes in Sudan The head of the Sudanese Transitional Military Council has visited Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, raising questions about Cairo’s role in Sudanese affairs. Saudi Arabia
Seized newspaper reads dark times for Egypt's press The repeated confiscation of Al-Ahaly newspaper has raised complaints about press freedom in Egypt, where state oversight of the media is a long and opaque tradition. Egypt
Election delay fueling Algerian protesters’ fire With the postponement of presidential elections in Algeria, the political class has ignored the constitution, undermining the credibility of interim President Abdelkader Bensalah and the influence of army chief Gen. Gaid Salah. Algeria
