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
Egyptian government fires official who insulted Kuwait to avoid diplomatic crisis Recurring incidents of Kuwaiti citizens assaulting Egyptian workers and Egyptian social media posts that went viral have stirred tensions between the two countries. Egypt
Families of ancient Palestinian village struggle to survive settler attacks Al-Monitor spent the day with Muhannad Salah and his family, some of the few remaining residents of the historic Shushahla village in Area C that has struggled to survive amid settlement expansion. Palestine
Dahlan supporters complain of PA crackdown in West Bank camps Supporters of exiled Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan say they have been targets of a crackdown by Palestinian security forces since the UAE-Israel normalization agreement. Palestine
The Takeaway: Israel stays flexible on US election outcome No matter how the election ends, US-Israel ties will remain tight, including on Iran; Egyptian video sings Trump’s praises; UAE ramps up on Israeli cuisine. Originals
Jordan reaches record COVID-19 death count Jordan reported 62 deaths from the virus on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 1,029. Jordan
Dubai-based airline announces daily flights to Tel Aviv The budget carrier flydubai will start flying to Israel's largest city later this month in the latest sign of deepening economic ties between Israel and the Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Palestinian who fired at Israeli troops fatally shot, IDF says The Palestinians describe Bilal Rawajba's death as an "extrajudicial execution." Palestine
Are Turkey, Azerbaijan ready to talk peace with Armenia? Although TRT momentarily reported that Azerbaijan had claimed it had emerged victorious in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, there seems to be a lot to still sort out before there can be a lasting cease-fire. Turkey
Saudi Arabia to ease restrictions on foreign workers The labor overhaul will allow foreign workers to leave the country without their employers' approval. Saudi Arabia
Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq accuses PKK of attacks The Kurdistan Regional Government condemned an apparent Kurdistan Workers Party attack on peshmerga soldiers in Dahuk province; the KRG and the PKK had a turf dispute earlier this year. Iraq
Iran unveils new missile launching system Iran announces a new missile system in what seemed to be yet another message to Western leaders that the Islamic Republic will press ahead with its “non-negotiable” missile program no matter who is US president. United States
Turkey’s business leaders keep quiet as economic crisis deepens Wary of the government’s wrath, Turkey’s main business groups are staying mum in the face of growing economic turmoil while keeping tabs on the prospect of early elections. Turkey
