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
Ankara to host interfaith dialogue expo as Hagia Sophia controversy heats up The Turkish capital’s only contemporary museum is slated to host an exhibition that highlights interfaith dialogue amid controversy over Hagia Sophia's conversion. Turkey
Intel: Israeli court orders Netanyahu's son to stop tweeting personal details of protest leaders The son of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was ordered by an Israeli court on Sunday to stop harassing those leading protests against his father’s administration. Israel
Lebanon's foreign minister resigns, citing lack of reforms Nassif Hitti is the highest ranking official to step down during the country's worsening economic crisis. Lebanon
Turkish health officials watch for COVID-19 cases to rise after holiday Turkish health officials are calling for increased precautions to limit the spread of COVID-19 as citizens conclude festivities for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha. Turkey
Intel: Libya’s Hifter threatens to meet Turkey’s forces ‘with bullets’ Eastern Libya’s Gen. Khalifa Hifter vowed to fight Turkey’s forces as Libya’s Government of National Accord is poised to press its counteroffensive against the key coastal city of Sirte with Ankara’s military support. Originals
Iran registers 'alarming' rise in infections as people 'trivialize' rules A majority of the country's provinces are reporting an "alarming" number of new cases, according to Iran's Health Ministry. Iran
Israel facing tensions on northern, southern borders The IDF is now worried not only about escalating tensions on the Syrian and Lebanese borders but also about growing tensions along the border with the Gaza Strip. Israel
Iran and UAE discuss cooperation on COVID-19 Iran and the United Arab Emirates have worked together on the virus before despite them being on opposite sides of Middle Eastern conflicts. Iran
Iran arrests US-based leader of exile group Authorities in Tehran say they detained Jamshid Sharmahd, the leader of a California-based opposition group, inside Iran, yet questions remain about his detention. Iran
Libya score-settling moves closer to Turkey’s borders Turkey’s intervention in the Libyan war is driving its adversaries to retaliate beyond Libya in conflict zones along Turkey’s own borders. Egypt
Iraqi prime minister presses ahead with promise of early elections Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi has committed to early elections, but Iraq's political blocs may resist. Iraq
Addis Ababa rejoices over GERD progress as talks drag on Ethiopia is celebrating its progress on filling the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, no experts are expressing hope for a binding agreement to emerge from the latest round of tripartite talks. Egypt
