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
Mossad chief reportedly in contact with Qatar over Gaza escalation According to Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Mossad chief Yossi Cohen has been in contact with Qatari officials to renew financial aid to the Gaza Strip. Israel
Dubai welcomes Lebanese residents with flowers, message of hope Following last week’s deadly explosion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, Dubai greeted its Lebanese residents at the airport with white roses. United Arab Emirates
Zarif says UN will vote down US proposal on Iran arms embargo Iran's top diplomat expressed doubt that the United States' last-minute efforts at the UN Security Council will succeed in extending an arms embargo against Iran. United States
Hamas test-fires rockets escalating tensions with Israel Hamas test-fired missiles toward the sea in the Gaza Strip in a warning to Israel that the calm along the border might not last. Palestine
Can Malta’s diplomacy tip balance in Libya toward Turkey? The diplomatic track ongoing between Turkey, Malta and Libya’s Tripoli government has sparked questions whether Valletta’s diplomatic support can serve as a much needed jumping point for Ankara to break the Libya stalemate, but the European country’s only focus in the talks seem to be limited with prevention of illegal immigration. Turkey
What are vice presidential nominee Kamala Harris' views on the Middle East? Joe Biden's running mate has views on Iran, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Syria that fall in line with the Democratic party establishment. Saudi Arabia
Lebanon’s security forces shot at unarmed Beirut protesters: Amnesty International More than 200 protesters were injured as security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets and pellets, Amnesty International said. Originals
State Department legally skirted Congress freeze on Saudi arms sales, inquiry finds An inspector general's report redacted by the State Department says that while the department found ways to legally bypass congressional restrictions on arms sales to Saudi Arabia, measures that Congress had called for were not taken. Saudi Arabia
Turkey to issue new drilling licenses in eastern Mediterranean amid rising tensions Following escalations Aug. 10 between Turkey and Greece over contested areas of the eastern Mediterranean, Ankara officials said they would issue new exploration licenses in the region this month. Turkey
Turkish drone strike kills two senior Iraqi officers, army says Officials say the Tuesday strike targeted a meeting between Iraqi border officials and Kurdish militants. Iraq
Iran’s hard-line parliament set to impeach two Rouhani allies The impeachment bid is the latest in a series of measures the new hard-line parliament had promised to take against President Hassan Rouhani in the closing year of his term. Iran
What trump cards is Iraq pulling against Turkey to secure water quota? Turkey refuses to abide by the protocols and treaties signed with Iraq on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers acting as if they are local rivers. Iraq
