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
Pompeo talks Israel, democracy, Nile Dam with Sudanese leaders Sudan's prime minister said his transitional government lacks the authority to establish relations with Israel and Sudan should be removed from the United States' list of state sponsors of terrorism regardless. Sudan
Intel: Iraq-Jordan-Egypt summit urges increased trade as security concerns loom over region A meeting between the leaders discussed economic cooperation and joint security efforts. Egypt
Turkey open to talks with Greece without preconditions: foreign minister During a meeting with his German counterpart, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his government is ready for talks with Greece, but without preconditions. Turkey
Report: Emirates and Etihad offer unpaid leave to employees The two Emirati airlines are offering regular flights around the world but have struggled with revenue losses, route cancelations and job cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic. Originals
Intel: Washington condemns Erdogan’s meeting with Hamas leadership The US State Department has condemned the Turkish president’s recent meeting with senior members of the Palestinian militant group Hamas as one that “only serves to isolate Turkey” on the world stage. Palestine
Iran officials hold ‘constructive’ talks with visiting IAEA chief The UN nuclear watchdog chief is in Tehran following an IAEA report in June criticizing Iran’s refusal to allow inspection at two of its nuclear sites, where undeclared enrichment has been reported. Iran
Islamic State operative planning 'sensational' attack nabbed in Istanbul Ankara has arrested a man suspected of planning “a sensational attack” in Istanbul and six others in raids that point to a festering Islamic State problem in Turkey. Turkey
Clashes between US, regime forces present new challenges for Russia in Syria Northeastern Syria's volatile mix of players is proving to be a tough test for Russia. Syria
Controversy continues in Israel over US F-35 sale to UAE Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says flatly that he did not know about and did not agree to a deal for Americans to sell F-35 stealth jets to the United Arab Emirates. United Arab Emirates
Nikki Haley praises Trump on Iran, Israel at Republican convention Former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said that Democratic nominee Joe Biden would be good for Iran and the Islamic State. Originals
Gaza locks down as virus infects four The four new cases of the virus confirmed on Monday were the first detected outside Gaza's quarantine centers. Palestine
Despite UN decision, Israel keeps campaigning for Iran sanctions For Israel, the Aug. 14 decision by the UN Security Council not to extend sanctions against Iran is definitely not the final word on the issue. Israel
