* October 14, 2021, Beirut was the grounds for yet another bloody massacre, the Tayounneh massacre, which took the lives of 7 people and brought memories of old sectarian strife back, mimicking scenes of the 15-year civil war which ended a mere 31 years ago. The day started with what was supposed to be a peaceful protest against Tarek Bitar, the judge investigating the port of Beirut explosion, led by members of Hezbollah and the AMAL Movement, with snipers appearing and the battle ensuing. Hezbollah and AMAL Movement accused the right-wing Christian party and former militia, the Lebanese Forces of the ambush- an accusation that was promptly denied. Lebanese citizens, mainly youth who have been angry and critical over the state of the country, rallied around Bitar, who has been allowed to continue his investigation according to the Higher Judicial Council.

* Middle East Eye reported that the Tishreen Movement in Iraq has become a political force in the south. Tishreen in this context refers to the October 2019 widespread protests in Iraq, which brought about the elections (held on October 10, 2021), two years earlier than initially scheduled. The report mentions that a 44-year-old teacher obtained the highest number of votes in her constituency, as she is a member of Imtidad – a political party that emerged from the Tishreen protests. Iraqi youth interviewed in the report celebrated her victory, boasting about her representation of youth’s views and priorities. She has also received donations and voluntary work from youth, and she said “The real owners of this victory are the youth who worked with me and those who believed in me and voted for me. I am very happy with what we have accomplished together. I promise that I will never let them down.” After the Imtidad party, which spun out of the October protests, won 10 seats in parliament, as well as 20 by independent candidates, Iraqi youth, who have been protesting for reforms for the past 2 years, became more encouraged to participate in politics, whether through actively nominating themselves or by simply being more involved. The parliamentary elections, which gave rise to a strong political bloc of pro-October protest demands, showed the possibility of change in Iraqi society and politics, which led to more motivation for the upcoming Provincial Councils elections, which are assumed to take place after the formation of the new government.

* The recent A'sdaa BCW Arab youth Survey showed that 71% of Jordanians have exclaimed they feel heard by their leaders. This as well as a rise in positivity in regards of the future, as well as a rise in terms of gender gap. 33% have stated their want to immigrate due to economic reasons, which is a large number but still less than that of 2020.

* The Jordanian Royal Committee to modernize Political system has been meeting continuously with Jordanian youth. The All Jordan Youth Committee has been leading the conversation on youth involvement in Politics with HM King Abdullah and the crown prince which has placed it at the forefront of the reform conversation, with recommendations involving lowering the age of political participation in terms of nominations and such.

* Two angry marches took place in Bahrain against the normalization of ties between the Bahraini kingdom and Israel. The protesters re-affirmed their political rights and their right to self-determination. The protests were followed by the burning of the Zionist flag, as well as vandalism/drawing on the wall of anti-normalization slogans and slogans opposing the Bahraini Emir labelling him a Tyrant. Many of those who protested had been arrest prior for participating in an anti-Zionist march.

* Morocco hosted this week the founding and second meeting of the "MENA Latina", an association connecting leftist youth from socialist and communist parties in South and Central America, and the MENA region. The conference included workshops, talks, speeches, discussions regarding the working plan, the budget plan, and a tour of different Moroccan cities.