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
Dog sparks hope in Beirut of possible miracle survivor under rubble A dog alerted Chilean rescuers to a possible sign of life near downtown Beirut and the search has provided hope to people in the city one month after the deadly explosion. Lebanon
Iraqi Kurdistan president leaves Ankara talks with two Yazidi children A senior Iraqi Kurdistan official told Al-Monitor that the talks with Ankara were “really good," and the delegation had brought two Yazidi children back with them on the plane. Iraq
Emirates to resume flights to Amman Beginning Sept. 8, the Dubai-owned carrier will operate daily flights between Dubai and the Jordanian capital. United Arab Emirates
Palestinian leaders grasp for unity in Ramallah-Beirut meeting While the Sept. 3 meeting between major Palestinian faction leaders in Ramallah and Beirut was an unusual accomplishment in itself, many observers are cautious about crucial obstacles to change. Palestine
Intel: Netanyahu knew of US proposal to sell arms to UAE, says NYT Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was aware of a US proposal to sell the advanced F-35 fighter jet to the United Arab Emirates amid negotiations with the Gulf country over normalizing ties with Israel, the New York Times reported Thursday. United Arab Emirates
UN chief urges Libya to shut migrant detention centers Antonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, said 22% of those detained in Libya's holding facilities for migrants are children. Libya
Bahrain to allow Israeli flights to UAE over its airspace There was speculation that Bahrain would follow the UAE in recognizing Israel, but the country has not signaled a willingness to do so yet. United Arab Emirates
Netanyahu’s Likud vs. Israel’s judicial system For Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin the time has come for a last, decisive duel against the High Court. Israel
Will arrest of leader disable Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt? Egypt recently arrested acting Muslim Brotherhood leader Mahmoud Ezzat, raising many questions about the fate of the organization in the country. Egypt
Army operations in Sinai continue unabated The Egyptian armed forces said they had launched successful military attacks on terrorist hideouts and arms warehouses in the Sinai, inflicting heavy losses on the Islamic State-affiliated Wilayat Sinai. Egypt
Yasser Arafat’s widow lashes out at PA over criticism of UAE-Israel deal The widow of late Palestinian President Yasser Aafat lashed out at the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of threatening her because of her position on the UAE-Israel normalization deal. United Arab Emirates
Qatar brokers Israel-Hamas cease-fire Hamas says it has reached understandings with Qatar and Israel to contain the escalation in Gaza, but details of the agreement are murky. Qatar
