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
US sticks Iraq in middle by calling Iran's IRGC terrorists Iraqis are divided on the recent US action against Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as some back Iran while others fear that a US-Iran conflict will engulf Iraq. Iraq
Shtayyeh government to focus on economy of resistance New Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh is trying to connect with the Palestinian people to prepare them for austerity measures to withstand the economic pressure being exerted by Israel and the United States. Palestine
Despite lifting ban, Egyptian commodities still absent in Sudanese market Analysts believe the delay in enforcing the decision to lift the ban on the export of Egyptian products to Sudan is due to economic reasons, in light of the current changes and events ongoing in the country. Egypt
Netanyahu facing greater ultra-Orthodox political appetite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will have a hard time finding common ground between the large ultra-Orthodox bloc in the Knesset and secular hard-liner Avigdor Liberman. Israel
What does timing of Lavrov’s visit to Cairo mean? Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and other officials during his visit to Cairo, focusing on political, economic and security ties between the two countries. Egypt
Will new Sudanese regime stop arms flow to Gaza? The toppled regime of Sudanese leader Omar al-Bashir had turned a blind eye to the smuggling of weapons through Sudan to Gaza, and Hamas is hoping that any successor government will adopt a similar attitude. Palestine
Why Israelis lost faith in rail service A sudden halt in train service throughout Israel stranded thousands of commuters, who have lost all faith in the country’s rail system amid an escalating conflict between its management and the labor union. Israel
Will Israeli left unite after election defeat? The resounding defeat of the Israeli left at the April 9 elections must serve as a wakeup call for lifting the banner of real equality among all Israelis along with a respectful and serious dialogue to end the Palestinian conflict. Palestine
Can Russia, Iran, China agree on division of roles in Syria reconstruction? Moscow, Tehran and Beijing are all vying for a piece of the Syrian reconstruction business, but will they be able to divide their interests civilly, or are they doomed to rivalry? Syria
Turkish election board disqualifies pro-Kurdish mayors in southeast While Turkey awaits an official decision in the Istanbul mayor's race, electoral authorities void HDP victories in Diyarbakir and elsewhere in the southeast. Turkey
US to ask Syrian Kurds to let Turkish forces through the door The United States is requesting numerous concessions from its Kurdish allies in Syria, but the Kurds are pushing back. Syria
How Egypt views turmoil in neighboring Sudan Egypt backs Sudanese president's removal; Egyptian activists hope Sudan's change of command will go better than their country's did. Egypt
