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
Why Syrians are joining Turkey in Nagorno-Karabakh clash Al-Monitor spoke with Syrian opposition fighters who joined the fight in Azerbaijan. Here is what they had to say. Syria
Palestinian man builds vintage car in his own garage A Palestinian owner of a car showroom in the West Bank manufactured his own vintage vehicle in a small workshop during the coronavirus lockdown. Originals
Canada suspending arms exports to Turkey amid Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said he is suspending the permits pending an investigation. Turkey
UN chief calls for lasting cease-fire in Libya Antonio Guterres warned the country's "future is at stake." Libya
Jordan's prime minister resigns but stays on as caretaker King Abdullah II instructed Omar Razzaz to remain acting prime minister until a new government is formed ahead of the November parliamentary elections. Jordan
Russia may sell S-400 to Iran after UN embargo expires, ambassador says Russia’s ambassador to Iran said Saturday that the Kremlin may sell its S-400 missile defense system to Tehran after the UN arms embargo expires later this month. Russia
NATO chief presses for calm in East Med, cease-fire in south Caucasus During a visit to Ankara Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg voiced support for de-confliction efforts between Turkey and Greece in the eastern Mediterranean while calling for a cease-fire in the southern Caucasus. Turkey
Kurdish authorities set to release Syrians from camp for IS families Syrian detainees — mostly women and children family members of Islamic State terrorists — are to be released from the notorious detention camp al-Hol, yet foreigners will remain. Syria
Umrah pilgrimage resumes in Saudi Arabia after 7-month pause Under the new rules, only 6,000 citizens and residents per day are permitted to perform umrah. Originals
Emirates resumes flights to several European cities The Dubai-based airline received $2 billion from the government in August and is gradually approaching its pre-pandemic number of destinations. Originals
Iran hits highest coronavirus death toll since July Officials in Iran are scrambling to address the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Iran
US ambassador to Israel warns Biden win could undermine consensus on Iran Ambassador David Friedman is the latest sitting US official to promote the president's policies ahead of the 2020 election. Israel
