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
Turkish human rights lawyer dies after hunger strike Ebru Timtik died on the 238th day of her strike, which she launched to draw attention to what rights groups have described as an unfair trial. Turkey
Lebanon's central bank to take over banks that cannot boost capital The central bank is giving Lebanese banks until February to increase their capital by 20% or give their shares to the government amid fears that people's deposits are at risk. Lebanon
Intel: US plans to reduce troops in Iraq The Pentagon plans to reduce its current troop presence in Iraq by about one-third as President Donald Trump heads for November's vote on his reelection amid a campaign promise to end US military involvement in conflicts abroad. Iraq
Child dies in sectarian firefight near Beirut Hours of fighting in a town south of Beirut left at least two dead and several injured. Lebanon
Trump talks Israel-UAE deal, Biden’s Middle East record at last night of Republican convention The president slammed his Democratic rival for voting for the 2003 Iraq war, but there's no record Trump opposed the invasion at the time. United States
Egypt arrests Muslim Brotherhood leader in Cairo Egyptian security forces arrested Mahmoud Ezzat during a raid on an apartment east of Cairo. Egypt
Turkey’s militarized Africa opening fuels influence wars The rivalry between Turkey and its regional adversaries has spilled over to the Horn of Africa and other regions in the continent beyond Libya, stoked by Ankara’s militarization of its outreach policy. Turkey
As Iraqi PM balances ties with US, Iran and Arab states, Tehran weighs next move Although Iran supports Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, there are signs it has concerns about his rapprochement with the United States and the Arab world. Iraq
Egyptian women embrace natural hair in identity revolution Salons and kitchens are hotspots of a change that is sweeping Egypt as women reject European beauty standards and celebrate their hair as it is. Egypt
Palestinian public diplomacy blitz to block other Arab countries following UAE lead The Palestinian leadership seeks to counter US and lsrael diplomacy with Sudan, Bahrain and Oman to secure another normalization deal. United Arab Emirates
Female scooter-riders on the rise in Egypt Despite an increase in the number of sexual harassment and bullying cases Egyptian women are subjected to, they still plan on conquering any means of transportation. Egypt
Egypt sends antiquities abroad on tourism-boosting tours As Egypt finds new ways to promote tourism in the time of the coronavirus crisis, the Czech Republic is hosting an exhibition of Egyptian antiquities found by a Czech archaeological mission. Egypt
![Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erakat speaks during the 2019 J Street National Conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC on October 28, 2019. (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by MANDEL NGAN has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [Saeb Erakat] instead of [Saab]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have](/sites/default/files/styles/article_header/public/almpics/2020/08/GettyImages-1178659660.jpg/GettyImages-1178659660.jpg?h=a5ae579a&itok=MZ8HCx1l)
