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
Egypt boosts ties with Gulf countries amid Iranian threats Egypt has expressed concerns over the growing Iranian threats in the region, fearing it might affect navigation in the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. Saudi Arabia
After decades, Iran, Iraq ready to dredge the Shatt al-Arab Iran and Iraq hope to revive the Shatt al-Arab as a source of clean water as well as a generator of increased commerce and tourism. Iraq
Palestinians prove fraud, regain land after decades Palestinians often struggle for years to recover land that Israeli companies confiscated through forged documents. Palestine
Why Jordan is silent on Bahrain summit Jordan has yet to officially announce its position on the US-sponsored Bahrain economic conference that is to kick off the long-awaited US Middle East peace plan. Bahrain
US 'maximum pressure' changing Iranian attitudes toward nuclear program Amid rising anti-Americanism in Iran, attitudes are hardening, even among moderate elites, with some now espousing the use of the nuclear program as a deterrent. United States
Skeptics wary as Trump appears to ease off Iran The tense rhetoric between Tehran and Washington appears to be settling down after US President Donald Trump asserted that he is not pursuing regime change, but his latest remarks were received with skepticism in Iran. Iran
Polls show opposition candidate ahead as Istanbul rerun nears Ekrem Imamoglu, who won the election as Istanbul mayor in March before he was forced to step down, has expanded his support ahead of the doover election on June 23. Turkey
Will Israeli Jewish and Arab politicians cooperate against Netanyahu? The invitation extended by the Blue and White party to Arab Knesset member Ayman Odeh to address the opposition rally last week might reflect a change in its perception of Arab parties. Palestine
War over vacating most expensive land in Israel Sde Dov airport in the north of Tel Aviv, which serves hundreds of thousands of travelers in domestic flights every year, will soon close to benefit real estate ventures that will change the face of the city. Israel
Central Bank: 2019 will be difficult for Tunisian banks Tunisia's financial and political quarters worry about an imminent liquidity crisis threatening the banking sector. Tunisia
Why new elections won’t save Israel’s democracy The mass rally last week against the anti-democratic legislation advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not reflect a change in the public opinion toward peace with the Palestinians. Palestine
