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
Jerusalem artist offers amulets for modern evils Eitam Tubul’s light-hearted art project proposes amulets for modern misfortunes such as hangovers, awkward silences or email hacking. Israel
Trump, Netanyahu use synagogue shooting to cement alliance President Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government are using this week’s massacre at the Tree of Life synagogue to cement support for each other. Israel
Annual US-Gulf gathering treats Khashoggi death as mere speed bump in relations The mood at this year’s National Council on US-Arab Relations conference was defensive but upbeat. Saudi Arabia
Pompeo, Mattis call for Yemen cease-fire, back UN talks The US secretaries of state and defense threw their support behind the United Nations Yemen envoy’s calls for a cessation of hostilities and for Yemen peace talks to be held in Sweden in November. Yemen
Russia key if quiet player in southern Yemen While keeping a low profile on the conflict in Yemen, Russia has been making significant progress establishing connections in the south of the country, where it has historically had a military and political presence. Yemen
Moscow, Syrian High Negotiations Committee go down to-do list on Syria Following the Syrian High Negotiations Committee's visit to Russia, Syrian opposition groups are faced with a choice: wait until Washington upholds its position on the country's settlement or hop on the bandwagon with Moscow. Syria
Iran denies assassination plot, warns Denmark against 'hasty reactions' An alleged assassination attempt has opened a diplomatic rift between Denmark and Iran, with the European country recalling its ambassador and turning to the EU for support. Iran
US fails to shield humanitarian trade with Iran as sanctions loom European governments are urging the Trump administration to identify a legal means for their companies to continue to provide food and medicine to Iranians after the Nov. 5 re-imposition of secondary sanctions begins. United States
Smuggling surges as US sanctions hit Iranian rial The Rouhani administration may not be responsible for the US sanctions hitting the Iranian economy, but it is responsible for the damage caused by smuggling and other harmful activities resulting from misguided foreign exchange policies. Iran
Lawyers demand freedom for Turkey's Osman Kavala after year in prison Turkey’s best-known public intellectual Osman Kavala has been held in pre-trial detention without even an indictment in what his lawyers believe constitutes “torture” and observers say is an attempt to stifle dissent. Turkey
Turkey’s crisis-hit construction sector threatens big fallout Once a driving force of economic growth, Turkey’s construction sector is among the first victims of the country’s economic turmoil, threatening a contagion effect on an array of other sectors. Turkey
