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
The Takeaway: It’s time to get ‘clear-eyed’ about Russian threat to US forces, says US Rep. Elissa Slotkin Highlights: Slotkin, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, discusses US policy in the Middle East in new podcast; Three reasons Erdogan says he backs Azerbaijan ‘till the end’ in conflict with Armenia; Israeli Knesset moves to outlaw gay conversion therapy. Originals
Egypt kills 18 militants in foiled Sinai attack, army says Two Egyptian military personnel died and four were wounded in an operation in the Sinai Peninsula July 21. Egypt
Jordan resuming domestic flights out of largest airport Jordan is planning to resume domestic flights and international flights next month. Jordan
Intel: Key senator mounts bid to force Trump to declassify report on Soleimani strike The top Democrat on the Senate’s Middle East panel isn’t dropping the fight to force the Donald Trump administration to declassify the legal justification for the January strike that killed Iranian Quds Force commander Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Iraq. Originals
UAE says prayers to be at home for upcoming Eid al-Adha holiday Countries in the region are beginning to issue restrictions pertaining to COVID-19 and the holiday. Originals
Is this the end of Turkish secularism? Radical Islamist ideas are not only winning out in Turkey, but getting cheerful approval from the last remnants of the secular establishment. Turkey
Hezbollah says its soldier killed by Israeli airstrike in Syria Hezbollah previously said it would respond to any deadly attacks of its soldiers in Syria by Israel. Lebanon
East Mediterranean tensions flare as Turkey seeks leverage in maritime border talks Surveying activities by a Turkish ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea have put Greek forces on high alert as Ankara seeks leverage in regional maritime border disputes. Originals
Qatar mandates testing, home quarantine for international travelers The new requirements for travel come as Qatar continues its phased reopening of the economy. Originals
Women journalists in northwest Syria brave daily dangers Syrian female journalists face challenges and abuse just for being women. Syria
Netflix Turkey cancels new series with gay character after government pressure Netflix Turkey's decision to cancel a series with a gay character due to government pressure indicates that LGBTI+ society and rights are increasingly coming into the government's crosshairs. Turkey
Qatar Airways sues Saudi Arabia, UAE, others over airspace closure Qatar's flagship airline is seeking billions in damages from the 2017 diplomatic crisis. Originals
