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
Lebanese public health crisis includes trauma, mental health after explosion The Lebanese people, already reeling under tough economic, social and political conditions, face another public health crisis after the explosion on Aug. 4 in Beirut. Lebanon
LGBT pride banners vandalized in several cities in Israel There were at least five attempts to remove LGBT pride flags in Israel during the past year; some of them involved vandalism. Israel
Can Egypt help ease tensions between Israel, Hamas? An Egyptian intelligence delegation embarked on new moves between Israel and Hamas in order to reduce tension on both sides of the borders in the Gaza Strip after the situation escalated over the past few days. Palestine
Can new mechanism advance stalled Riyadh Agreement in southern Yemen? Neither the Riyadh Agreement nor the mechanism for accelerating it can fundamentally end the conflict in southern Yemen, but will rather help suspend it and control its rhythm, according to analysts. Saudi Arabia
Beirut’s club scene gets creative in wake of blast Lebanon's nightlife is key to its economy and spirit. Lebanon
Despite dispute with Riyadh over Kashmir, Saudi-Pakistan ties remain strong Security and economic bonds mean that Islamabad’s recent disputes with Riyadh are unlikely to impact overall bilateral ties. Saudi Arabia
Israel’s spy chief visits UAE for talks Mossad chief Yossi Cohen's visit to the United Arab Emirates is the first such trip by an Israeli official since the two countries announced their historic deal last week. United Arab Emirates
Report: Pompeo expected to ask UN to reimpose Iran sanctions Reuters reported that the US Secretary of State is likely to head to UN headquarters in New York on Thursday to ask for the reimposition of sanctions on Tehran. Originals
Iran’s hard-liners push legislation to exit nuclear deal If passed, the legislation proposed by hard-liners would effectively force the government into a farewell to the fragile nuclear deal depending on UN action. United States
Sultan of Oman names new foreign, finance ministers in government reshuffle Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said named new finance and foreign ministers and added two new female ministers under new royal decrees. Originals
UN tribunal says Syrian government, Hezbollah not involved in Hariri assassination Some supporters of the slain prime minister protested the verdict in Beirut on Tuesday. Lebanon
Intel: Israel still opposes any potential US sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to UAE Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday denied reports that his government’s historic agreement with the United Arab Emirates included a potential US sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to the UAE in exchange for the Gulf country’s recognition of the Jewish state. Israel
