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
What did Lavrov discuss in Egypt, Jordan? The Russian foreign minister completed his continual Mideast tour with visits to Cairo and Amman. Egypt
Iran signals change to FX regime, crackdown on profiteering The Iranian authorities said renewed turbulence on foreign exchange markets will be short-lived as signals were sent that a crackdown on profiteering is ahead. United States
Netanyahu’s call to annex West Bank inspired by Trump support Palestinian and international experts and politicians are convinced that the extraordinary statements made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about annexing all settlements come from the realization that he has support from US President Donald Trump for his radical call. Palestine
Erdogan flirts with fire as sparks fly over missile deal President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to almost revel in the controversy over Turkey's planned purchase of a Russian missile system even as pressure mounts to scrap it and stakes continue to rise. Turkey
Turkish-American ties enter uncharted territory The US-Turkish relationship is in such a bad state that the sides can’t even agree on what was discussed during high-level bilateral talks. Turkey
Turkey’s 'morally clean' TV series under fire Amid a big expansion in their foreign audience, Turkish TV series are barred from featuring alcohol, smoking and anything sexual, but are free to show unstinted violence. Turkey
Egypt to amend controversial NGO law as Sisi visits Washington Just before Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's visit to Washington, the minister of social solidarity announced that a new law governing the operations of nongovernmental organizations will be drafted. Egypt
Qatar boosts its influence in Gaza As Qatar works to alleviate the living conditions plaguing Palestinians due to the blockade, it also seeks to achieve greater influence in the Palestinian territories. Qatar
Is Fatah pressuring Palestinian parties to form Shtayyeh's government? Members of the Palestinian Democratic Union Party and the Palestinian People's Party submitted their resignation following the decision of their parties to participate in the new Palestinian government. Palestine
Israeli right's election victory buys more time for Netanyahu The right-wing achievement at the April 9 elections offers Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu more time to battle the expected indictment against him. Israel
Netanyahu’s ‘Annexation for Immunity’ formula Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hopes to get immunity in exchange for his willingness to annex West Bank settlements. Palestine
Ruling party to seek new election in Istanbul President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s party said it is filing an appeal to cancel the results of the Istanbul mayoral election, citing irregularities, after the vote recount it sought has so far failed to change the outcome that saw it lose its longtime control of Turkey’s biggest city. Turkey
