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
Democratic Party platform criticizes possible Israeli annexation of West Bank, Saudi role in Yemen Parts of the platform approved at the Democratic National Convention this week have been both praised and criticized by Israel- and Iran-focused groups in Washington. Saudi Arabia
US official links long-term aid to reform in Lebanon Following his visit to Lebanon, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale told reporters that further economic assistance will be linked to IMF reform package. United States
Opting for backdoor measures, Turkey’s Central Bank holds interest rate steady Turkey’s Central Bank left a key interest rate unchanged in favor of liquidity measures Thursday in what analysts described as a “missed opportunity” to send a positive signal to the markets. Turkey
'Time is running out' in Yemen: NGOs urge USAID to restore funding to Houthi-held north Six of the largest humanitarian responders in Yemen urged USAID acting administrator John Barsa to immediately restore aid to Houthi-held northern Yemen. Yemen
Iran speaks out against US attempt to reinstate UN sanctions Iran says the United States will suffer another defeat if it attempts to bring back sanctions against Iran. Iran
Turkey's 'hedonist' singles become new target of AKP heavyweight Numan Kurtulmus, deputy chair of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party who opened a Pandora’s box on the Istanbul Convention, has come under fire once more for remarks on “over hedonist singles.” Turkey
Netanyahu’s maneuvers leave Blue and White clueless on budget, elections Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s constant machinations and tricks leave Blue and White in the dark as to whether he intends to push for new elections next week. Israel
Turkey banks on military drones to extend power, regional clout The “dronization” of Turkey’s power projection abroad continues with a new unmanned aerial vehicle that Ankara plans to use against PKK militants in Iraq and Syria as well as in brewing regional conflicts. Turkey
Egypt, Sudan kick off another round of Nile dam talks A new round of meetings between the Nile Basin countries has resumed as Sudan and Egypt try to unite on controlling damage from the Ethiopian dam. Egypt
Jordan worries Israel-UAE deal will scuttle two-state solution Jordan has always been a staunch supporter of the two-state solution and the Arab Peace Initiative, but that might not mean much anymore after Israel and the UAE agreed to normalize ties under a historic US-brokered deal. United Arab Emirates
Netanyahu fears that Biden as president would renew Iran deal Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu maintains a friendly relationship with US presidential candidate Joe Biden, but fears that if elected, President Biden would return to talks with Iran. Israel
Egypt shows interest in Nubian community after years of marginalization The marginalized Nubian community is back at the forefront in Egypt with a boat race festival to preserve Nubian heritage, held for a second time in Aswan governorate. Egypt
