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
Israel, Sudan confirm they are in talks toward peace agreement Senior figures in Sudan and Israel confirmed today that both countries are advancing toward a peace agreement, perhaps even by the beginning of 2021. Israel
Doctors warn Turkish outbreak 'out of control' as COVID-19 cases pass 250,000 The government says inspections of businesses will be increased to ensure enforcement rules on masks and physical distancing as the country battles more than 1,000 new cases a day. Turkey
Israeli and German jets fly over Munich Olympics massacre site, Dachau concentration camp The joint exercises this week mark the first ever between Israel and Germany on German soil. Israel
Trump says US embassy move to Jerusalem 'for the evangelicals' At a campaign rally the day the Democratic National Convention opened, Trump said that Christian voters are more supportive of US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital than Jewish voters. United States
US backs Iraqi progress on budget deal with Kurdistan Region The Trump administration says it supports Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi's progress so far in working out a budget agreement with the Kurdistan Region. Iraq
Why Erdogan must expand his ultranationalist alliances President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s growing dependency on Gray Wolves may mean more trouble for the Kurds and political dissidents in Europe, while increasing risks for Syrian refugees inside Turkey. Turkey
Classrooms under fire: Yemen’s warring parties launched 380 attacks impacting schools, report finds A new report has found that the Saudi-led coalition, Houthi rebels, government forces and other factions in Yemen's civil war have all occupied, used or attacked schools. Originals
Iranian hard-liner under fire after opening Pandora’s box of corruption Allegations of deep-rooted corruption raised by a top hard-line politician against some of Iran’s most powerful institutions have sparked intense infighting and are further blurring the political stage ahead of the next presidential race. Iran
Israel files grievance against Hezbollah as UNSC retools UNIFIL Israel and the United States are campaigning for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon's mandate to be revised, empowering the force to eject Hezbollah from south Lebanon. Israel
Palestinian factions unite in protest against UAE-Israel deal The Palestinian response to the normalization agreement between the United Arab Emirates and Israel is loud but its message is muddled amid divisions at home and in the region. United Arab Emirates
Syria could have 2 million cases of coronavirus by Aug. 31 Analysts believe there could be up to 2 million coronavirus cases in Syria, but the authorities are no way near reimposing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus. Syria
Exposure of Israel-UAE ties changes Middle East substantively The exposure of the clandestine affair between Israel and the United Arab Emirates creates a substantive change in the Middle East. United Arab Emirates
