* Middle East Eye published a report on June 28 indicating that the Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement is instilling fear among Egyptian political exiles living in Turkey. Several family members of Egyptian political exiles living in Turkey were told that Turkey will deport them very soon. The report highlights that many political activists were imprisoned in different Egyptian prisons, and upon their releasees, they sought protection in countries like Turkey. It is estimated that there are around 33,000 Egyptians living in exile in Turkey, all of whom are facing the fear of deportation as part of a deal with Turkey, and then they are very likely to face an inevitable fate of execution.  

* Ammon News reported on July 4 that there are discussions within the Elections Committee, under the Royal Commission to Modernize the Political System in Jordan, on lowering the candidacy age for Parliamentary Elections from 30 to 25. The report highlights that members from the Royal Committee along with Senators and specialists have had different thoughts on the matter, as some were in support of the idea while others opposed it. One Senator spoke that he was against lowering the age of candidacy since youth aged 25 are not politically or economically mature, let alone the absence of political parties to trump personal considerations. Other opponents added that lowering the age of candidacy would have a negative impact on the performance of the Parliament, youth under 30 would have minimal chances to win in elections, and that “real empowerment for youth should be economic and that demands for lowering the candidacy age for parliament are not useful at the national level.” On the other hand, supporters for this potential motion reasoned that “since the voting age is 18, there is no harm of lowering the candidacy age to 25, which is implemented in many countries around the world.” The Ammon News report added that there was a consensus that upscaling, improving, and empowering political parties in Jordan can provide for an incubating environment for youth under 30 to make their way into the Parliament. 

* Alarabiya reported on June 30 that the 48.8% voter turnout in Iran’s recent Presidential Elections are not only the lowest in history, but they may be an indication that Iranian youth are starting to erupt. The report indicates that former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani received a majority of 24 million votes in 2017 before the elections were repeated while Raisi received only 18 million votes, but the elections were not repeated. An American report spoke that there is popular dissatisfaction with the election of old candidates, who use a petrified ideology to protect their power and privileges. It added that this difficult political situation and the deteriorating economy do not bode well at all, but rather threaten a broader uprising of a large group of young people who have been denied of their opportunities.

* DW reported on July 2 on Lebanon’s economic and political crisis. It has been estimated that almost half of all Lebanese people now live under the poverty line, and a UNICEF assessment found that 77% of Lebanese households do not have enough food or enough money to buy food. A recent World Bank report asserted that the current Lebanese crisis might be one of the three most severe crises since the mid-19th century. The European Union's foreign policy representative, Josep Borrell, stated upon his visit to Beirut that “if there is further obstruction to solutions to the current multi-dimensional crisis in the country, we will have to consider other courses of action … including targeted sanctions." Shahin Vallee, head of the geo-economics program at the German Council on Foreign Relations, indicated that the best thing the EU can do is to “support domestic civil society and the youth organizations that are trying to change the political system from the bottom up." 

* The Tripoli Coordinator in the "Youth of Lebanon" movement issued a statement calling for "the people of Tripoli of all affiliations and sects to adhere to the Lebanese army and all official security institutions as one sole guarantor of the security and stability of Lebanon in general and Tripoli and the north in particular." The statement also added that the state has underperformed and underdelivered for all Lebanese people, especially in the north of Lebanon, but that should not affect people’s relations with the Lebanese army and the security services. 

* The Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports will launch on July 5 the National Project to Rehabilitate Youth for Localities and Political Participation as part of the Youth Initiative “Youth of Egypt 2030”. The project aims to support Egyptian youth cadres in all governorates and to prepare them to join local councils and to raise their cultural and political capacities to understand Egypt’s dynamics and its political orientation. This project stipulates that the participants be fully available throughout the training period, be 21-40 years of age, has completed conscription or was legally pardoned, completed elementary education at least, and is a registered voter in the locality. 

* Sahara Media reported on July 2 that that the governor of Koubeni in Mauritania refused to license a demonstration planned by young Mauritanians to protest shortages in water and electricity in the city. A parliamentarian spoke that there were some protests on Friday did not result in any physical losses, but as a member of the parliament representing the city of Koubeni, he will be working with the authorities to address these shortages. He also spoke that “youth have the full right to aspire to improve the conditions of their country, but that should not be on the expense of security, peace, and tranquility,” as he urged youth to be patient and to “search for information from officials to be aware of the facts”.

* The Jerusalem Post reported on July 3 that thousands of Palestinians demonstrated in Hebron and in protest at the death of anti-corruption activist Nizar Banat, who was beaten by Palestinian Authority security officers before he died last month. The demonstrations were organized by various Palestinian factions and youth groups and chanted slogans calling on PA President Mahmoud Abbas and his prime minister, Mohammad Shtayyeh, to step down. They accused Abbas of responsibility for the violent death of Banat, and they denounced the PA security forces for assaulting demonstrators over the past week, including the sexual harassment of several female journalists

* The Emirati Ministry of State for Federal National Council Affairs (MFNCA) launched a number of youth-oriented initiatives which saw more than 19,000 young Emirati men and women taking part. These initiatives, according to an Urdu Point report, seek to enhance youth’s political awareness and create effective channels of communication to listen to their ideas and use that insight to develop and improve parliamentary procedures in the country. The initiatives will also provide youth with interactive content through MFNCA’s website and social media pages along with organizing Youth Circles to prepare a generation that is knowledgeable and capable in the parliamentary sector.

* A group of Muslim American groups has called on President Joe Biden to intervene to stop a mass execution of political dissidents in Egypt, set to take place soon. The efforts include calling on Biden to suspend US military aid to Egypt to pressure the government to improve its human rights record and to especially put a halt to the executions. It is worth noted that Egyptian activists in support of former president Morsi were convicted of harsh sentences such as “arming criminal gangs”, “possessing firearms”, “killing policemen”, and “resisting authorities” and the legal proceedings have been described as “sham” trials.