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 does Egypt have to gain from building a dam in Tanzania? Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi called for completing the construction of the Julius Nyerere dam in Tanzania, while the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam negotiations faltered. Egypt
Abu Dhabi investor surprises Israelis, interested in Jerusalem soccer club Despite — or because of — the racist attitude of Beitar Jerusalem’s fan club, an Abu Dhabi investor is now interested in investing in the soccer team and developing coexistence. Israel
At White House, Netanyahu says more Arab deals to come Celebrating the historic agreements with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates in Washington, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached out to other Arab states. United Arab Emirates
Possible resignation of Libya's PM raises questions over Ankara-Tripoli ties Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj is reportedly planning to resign from his post and take on a caretaker role in the Tripoli government, a move that could complicate prior agreements with Ankara and raises questions over future bilateral ties. Turkey
UAE, Bahrain sign Israel deals at White House ceremony Trump said “there’s more to follow” as Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain sign the US-mediated normalization deals. United Arab Emirates
UN points finger at Turkey over rights abuses in Syria A biannual report by the United Nations Human Rights Council shows Turkish-backed groups inflicting multiple human rights abuses. Turkey
Iran hard-liners slam European ‘meddling’ in execution case Iran's staunchest loyalists are expressing rage at European states that have condemned the execution of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari. Iran
Iraq, counter-IS coalition kill, capture Islamic State figures The US-led anti-IS coalition provided helicopter transport for the Iraqi raid in al-Rutba. Iraq
Second fire in downtown Beirut in less than a week There have been two fires in the city since the devastating Aug. 4 explosion. Lebanon
Trump now admits he wanted to kill Syria's Assad but Mattis stopped him "I would've rather taken him out. I had him all set," President Donald Trump said of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Syria
Turkey backs off in EastMed, but for how long? Turkey's step back in the eastern Mediterranean standoff may be a tactic to avoid EU sanctions instead of a genuine effort to de-escalate. Turkey
Coronavirus lockdown targets Israeli synagogues but not protests Religious people in Israel find it hard to understand why political demonstrations will be authorized under coronavirus restrictions while public prayer in synagogues will be prevented. Israel
