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
Intel: Menendez opposes resolution to immunize Sudan from terror lawsuits The Trump administration is looking to unilaterally take Sudan off the US terror sponsors' list amid a logjam over the issue in Congress, jeopardizing victims' compensation, in an apparent effort to get Sudan to recognize Israel ahead of the Nov. 3 US election. Israel
Turkey's military deterrence breaks down in Syria's last rebel stronghold Despite Turkey’s efforts to maintain the status quo in Idlib, a Russian-backed Syrian assault seems increasingly likely. Syria
Senate Democrats say Trump administration policy has empowered Iran The State Department also announced new sanctions on Iran including on the judge who purportedly ordered the execution of famed wrestler Navid Afkari. Congress
Hamas, Fatah agree to hold Palestinian elections within six months The deal comes after reconciliation talks in Turkey this week aimed at resolving the differences between the two main Palestinian factions. Palestine
Saudi Arabia warns of ‘oil spot’ near aging tanker off Yemen's coast UN officials have described the FSO Safer, an aging vessel that contains 1.14 million barrels of light crude oil, as a ticking time bomb. Saudi Arabia
US Senator grills State Department official on potential F-35 sale to UAE Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Robert Menendez said the possible sale of the advanced fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates could undermine Israel's military superiority in the region. Originals
Turkish army accused of throwing Kurdish farmers from helicopter Allegations that Turkish soldiers took two Kurdish farmers up in a helicopter and threw them out fit a broader pattern of operations against the Kurdistan Workers Party in rural areas. Turkey
Turkey yields to markets, raises interest rates as lira tanks The central bank hikes its benchmark rate for the first time since 2018, hoping to curb double-digit inflation and a currency that is plumbing record lows. Turkey
Amnesty calls on EU to reconsider Libya cooperation over migrant abuse The rights group called on the European Union to make support for Libya's coast guard conditional upon ending longstanding abuse of migrants. Libya
In Turkey, Palestinian leaders announce breakthrough on unity, elections Fatah and Hamas appear to have deals on a unified approach and elections, following Israel's normalization agreements with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. Palestine
Zarif says Iran open to more prisoner exchanges Iran says it is ready for more prisoner exchanges with the United States via Swiss mediation. Iran
An open letter to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas Yossi Beilin, who participated in the back-channel negotiations leading the 1993 Oslo Accord, pens an open letter to the Palestinian president calling on him to stay focused on making peace. Palestine
