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’s Gantz warns Hamas on retaliating against annexation A spokesperson for the militant group said Israel's planned West Bank annexation would be seen as a "declaration of war." Israel
Intel: Democrats try to stymie Trump’s 'secure the oil' mission in Syria Democrats are turning up the heat on President Donald Trump’s “secure the oil” mission in northeast Syria. Originals
The false logic of a China-US choice in the Middle East Framing the discussion of China's role in the Middle East as a zero-sum game of choosing either US or Chinese patronage has only increased Beijing's clout in the region. Originals
Negative virus test required to enter UAE As the oil-rich Gulf country announced more than 400 new cases of the virus, it rolled out new movement restrictions in the capital. United Arab Emirates
Lebanese banks raise exchange rate to dollars as crisis worsens A member of the government's IMF negotiations team also resigned in opposition to the government's handling of the worst financial crisis in decades. Lebanon
Intel: Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted Iranian weapons bound for Yemen The Saudi-led coalition intercepted a boat carrying light weapons of Iranian origin bound for war-wracked Yemen, Saudi and US officials said today. Saudi Arabia
Turkish unions threaten general strike over severance pay cuts Turkish unions are denouncing proposed severance pay cuts that would impact 3.5 million workers, threatening a mass strike if the government does not change course. Turkey
Iran’s conservative parliament moves to ban Instagram Iran’s newly inaugurated hard-line parliament is pushing for a new ban on the country’s already restricted social media, a campaign that critics view as a war on the free flow of information. Iran
Interpol dismisses Iran's request for arrest warrant for Trump over Soleimani killing US terms 'propaganda' Tehran's request that Interpol issue a red notice for President Donald Trump and 35 other officials Iran alleges were involved in the general's killing. Iran
Intel: Trump’s Iran coordinator discusses arms embargo extension with UAE Brian Hook, the US policy coordinator for Iran, visited the United Arab Emirates this weekend as part of a Middle East tour intended to discuss Washington’s efforts to extend the conventional arms embargo on Tehran, which expires in October. Originals
Qatar to further ease coronavirus restrictions Qatar is registering fewer coronavirus cases than in previous weeks, and public spaces, mosques and offices can now start to reopen. Originals
Renaissance painting of Ottoman sultan divides Turkish government, opposition Mehmed the Conqueror is a popular figure among Turks, but the same cannot be said of his 15th century painting. Turkey
