Turkey lifts veil on unemployment data, revealing bigger army of jobless A new, broader set of labor statistics has exposed a big gap between Turkey’s official unemployment rate and the actual joblessness in the crisis-hit country. Turkey
Rights group criticizes Jordan over debt imprisonment Human Rights Watch has highlighted the plight of poor Jordanians imprisoned for failing to pay back loans taken out to meet basic needs. Jordan
COVID accelerates evolution of Gulf economies The economic policy response to COVID-19 is an acceleration of specific trends already underway across the Gulf Cooperation Council members, variously affecting tax policy, labor market regulation and immigration policy. Saudi Arabia
Iran receives COVID-19 vaccine from Cuba Iran enjoys warm relations with the Latin American state and the two countries are also developing a coronavirus vaccine together. Iran
Israel Cannot Afford to Cut Benefits for Children Cutting already-low child benefits in Israel under the pretext of equal sharing of the economic burden is liable to cause irreparable damage, warns Idan Grinbaum. Israel
Bad Timing: Israel Allows Oil Exploration in Golan Akiva Eldar writes that the decision to allow a US energy company to explore for oil in the Golan is not meant to antagonize President Obama in advance of his visit to Israel, but a sign that Israel considers the Golan an integral part of the state. Israel
Government's Decision Threatens Iraqi Automotive Industry The Iraqi government recently issued a decision imposing heavy registration fees on those who purchase new cars, a move that could destroy the country’s automotive trade, writes Omar al-Shaher. Iraq
More Than Meets the Eye In Turkish-Israeli Ties Semih Idiz writes that while Turkish-Israeli relations seem to be at a low, Ankara and Tel Aviv continue to engage on security and energy matters. Israel
Building High-Tech Success Stories In Palestine Thirty-five young Palestinian high-tech entrepreneurs enrolled for studies at a USAID-supported program at Tel Aviv University with the aim of upgrading their managerial skills, reports Tali Heruti-Sover. Palestine
Muasher: Obama Should Try To Solve Conflict in a 'Few Months' In an interview with Akiva Eldar, Marwan Muasher, Jordan’s former foreign minister and its first ambassador to Israel, warns that the failure of the Arab peace initiative will signal the end of the “two-state” paradigm. Palestine
In Gaza, Hamas to Launch New Job-Creation Program Hamas is trying to address soaring youth unemployment in Gaza with a new job-creation program targeting university graduates, Rami Almeghari reports. Palestine
Egypt Floods Gaza's Smuggling Tunnels Egypt's decision to flood some of Gaza's tunnels last week caught local Palestinians by surprise, Abeer Ayyoub reports. Palestine
Who Will Pay IOCs in Iraqi Kurdistan? An Iraqi-Turkish oil pipeline for exports from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq might reduce tensions between Baghdad and Erbil, while improving Iraqi-Turkish ties, writes Denise Natali. Iraq
Israel's Labor Unions Maintain Stranglehold on Economy Social justice in Israel won't be achieved as long as major labor unions hold monopolies, writes Idan Grinbaum. Israel
Turkey's Creeping Alcohol Ban Reaches New Heights Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party’s campaign to ban alcohol has now reached Turkish Airlines, writes Kadri Gursel. Turkey
Turkey Contributes To Iraqi Fragmentation Turkey’s relationship with the Kurdistan Regional Government may be undermining its long-term economic and energy interests in Iraq, writes Necdet Pamir. Iraq
