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 viable is Turkey’s bid for military partnership with Iraq? Turkey and Iraq have agreed to work on sealing a military cooperation agreement, and although regional developments dictate the solution of bilateral crises, the volatile relationship between the two neighbors calls for tempered optimism. Iraq
Rocket strikes Baghdad’s Green Zone A rocket has hit Baghdad's Green Zone near the US Embassy, ramping up US-Iranian tensions even further. Iraq
Tunisia’s largest trade union to monitor elections The Tunisian General Labor Union announced an agreement with Tunisia’s electoral commission to take part in the electoral process, which raised the ire of other political parties. Originals
Russia may have designs on Iran's trade with Syria Observers wonder whether Russia will cut into Iran's trade volume with Syria. Syria
Netanyahu’s dilemma: settlements versus immunity Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must deal with the problematic demand that he include reversing disengagement from the northern West Bank as part of a coalition agreement. Palestine
Award-winning book narrates migration in five letters Hoda Barakat's "The Night Post," which tells the story of five Arab migrants, won the International Prize for Arabic Fiction amid controversy. Lebanon
A century of Lebanese documents preserve shifting identities The exhibition “Identity Papers” uses old government documents and artworks to show how identity is created, informed and changed by official papers. Lebanon
Afrin musician teaches region's musical heritage to children Mostafa Bakr has opened a music school in downtown Afrin where he teaches children and adults to play the string instruments of the region, from buzuq to tanbur. Syria
Why Saudi Arabia is focused on tensions with Iran The Saudis have called an Arab summit for May 30 in Mecca to likely brand Iran as a terrorist state, with the apparent hope that the United States will strike Iran. Legacy: Gulf
House ratchets up pressure on Egypt The House’s annual foreign aid bill would place conditions on military aid. Egypt
Iran's burgeoning ‘resistance literature’: A new front? Despite an ongoing “paper crisis” that has engulfed both print media and publishers, “resistance literature” promoted by the Iranian political establishment is reaching new heights. Israel
