MENA Legislative Intelligence Report

SPECIAL CURRENT EDITION — AUGUST 16, 2026

Prepared for JAFAJ Strategic Intelligence
Coverage: Core MENA Jurisdictions
Reporting standard: Verified legislative intelligence, not general political news

WHAT MATTERS NOW

The MENA legislative picture has sharpened considerably.

Six developments deserve immediate JAFAJ attention:

1. LEBANON — CRITICAL: Parliament abolished the death penalty on August 11 and passed a sweeping general-amnesty law on August 12. The two measures together represent the region’s most consequential current criminal-justice development. The amnesty could affect as many as 3,000 of Lebanon’s approximately 8,500 prisoners, although estimates vary. (Reuters)¹
2. ISRAEL — CRITICAL: The Knesset’s final legislative burst included a 53–48 vote on the Communications Bill, a temporary extension of compulsory military service to 32 months, and import reform allowing greater reliance on U.S. standards. The legislative agenda shows security pressure being converted directly into statutory policy while the country also pursues regulatory reform. (Knesset)
3. IRAQ — HIGH: The new parliamentary cycle is concentrating on cybercrime, air defense, military service and electricity. Parliament’s official legislative database currently lists 31 laws in process, while the Security and Defense Committee is actively advancing cybercrime and military-service legislation. (Iraq Parliament)
4. MOROCCO — HIGH: Morocco is undertaking one of the region’s broadest legislative modernization programs, including statistical governance, planning, senior appointments, medical regulation and intellectual property. The official parliamentary record provides unusually good bill numbers and vote data. (Chambre des Conseillers)
5. SYRIA — HIGH: The new People’s Assembly has formally established its operating rules. The 231-article Rules of Procedure were approved after five days of debate and amendments. In Syria’s transition, building the legislature itself is a major legislative event. (الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء – سانا)
6. MAURITANIA — HIGH: Finance, police and customs legislation are moving together, giving Mauritania a particularly clear pattern of fiscal, security and trade-state modernization. Official parliamentary records identify Bills 26-032, 26-033 and 26-034. (Assemblée Nationale de Mauritanie)

MENA LEGISLATIVE SCORECARD

Country	Primary Legislative Signal	JAFAJ PRIORITY
Lebanon	Criminal justice / amnesty	CRITICAL
Israel	Defense / regulation / imports	CRITICAL
Iraq	Security / cyber / infrastructure	HIGH
Morocco	State modernization	HIGH
Syria	Institutional reconstruction	HIGH
Mauritania	Fiscal / security / customs	HIGH
Jordan	Administration / energy	MEDIUM-HIGH
Egypt	Tax / state administration	MEDIUM-HIGH
Tunisia	Energy / sovereign financing	MEDIUM-HIGH
Oman	Legislative output / oversight	MEDIUM
Qatar	State property / regulation / AI	MEDIUM
Saudi Arabia	Oversight / performance management	MEDIUM
Algeria	New legislative term	WATCH
Bahrain	Limited verified activity	WATCH
Djibouti	Limited verified activity	WATCH
Libya	Limited verified activity	WATCH
Sudan	Limited verified activity	WATCH
Iran	Limited verified parliamentary activity	WATCH
Kuwait	Limited verified activity	WATCH
Palestine	Limited verifiable parliamentary activity	WATCH
UAE	Limited verified FNC activity	WATCH
Yemen	Limited verified legislative activity	WATCH

Important: “WATCH” does not mean nothing is happening in the country. It means I could not verify sufficient qualifying parliamentary activity under the JAFAJ legislative standard in the current research window.

THE SIX STORIES JAFAJ SHOULD WATCH

1. LEBANON — THE REGION’S LARGEST LEGISLATIVE STORY

ACTION 1 — ABOLITION OF THE DEATH PENALTY

Bill: Parliamentary legislation abolishing capital punishment
Action: Final parliamentary approval
Date: August 11, 2026
Vote: Majority; exact tally was not disclosed in the parliamentary statement
Status: Approved; presidential promulgation and Official Gazette publication remain part of the formal process.
Trajectory: Human Rights Committee → Justice Committee → Joint Committee → full Parliament. The Human Rights Committee approved the draft February 23; the Justice and Joint Committees advanced it June 2 and July 9 respectively. (Amnesty International)²

The law replaces death sentences with life imprisonment with hard labor and applies the abolition to existing death sentences. Lebanon had not carried out an execution since 2004, but capital punishment remained legally available. (Reuters)

Political signal: Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc opposed the measure; AP reports that the measure passed with a parliamentary majority. (AP News)

JAFAJ TAKE: This is more than a human-rights story. Lebanon has converted a 22-year de facto moratorium into statutory law. That changes extradition, judicial cooperation and the country’s relationship with international human-rights institutions.

ACTION 2 — GENERAL AMNESTY LAW

Action: Parliament passed a broad general-amnesty law
Date: August 12, 2026
Status: Passed
Vote: Passed by parliamentary vote; reporting does not establish a reliable numerical tally.³

The law reduces or eliminates sentences for specified categories while excluding serious crimes including rape, trafficking, corruption, terrorism financing and premeditated murder. The measure has generated substantial sectarian and political controversy. (AP News)

The Financial Times reports that the measure could result in the release of up to roughly one-third of Lebanon’s 8,500 prisoners, potentially around 3,000 people. (Financial Times)⁴

JAFAJ TAKE: The important issue is not simply prisoner release. The law tests whether Lebanon can use legislation to reduce prison pressure without further weakening confidence in an already fragile justice system.

ACTION 3 — JUSTICE-SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

The abolition legislation still requires formal implementation, including commutation of existing death sentences and publication. Amnesty International is calling for broader justice reforms and ratification of the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR. (Amnesty International)

JAFAJ TAKE: Lebanon’s legislative story has moved from passage to implementation. That should be the principal watch item.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: CRITICAL

2. ISRAEL — SECURITY PRESSURE BECOMES STATUTORY POLICY

ACTION 1 — COMMUNICATIONS BILL

Bill: Communications Bill (Broadcasts), 2026
Action: Second and third readings
Date: July 19, 2026
Vote: 53 YES — 48 NO
Margin: +5
Status: Passed
Financial provision: Proposed authority budget of NIS 25 million annually.
Institution: New independent statutory broadcast-media authority. (Knesset)

The bill creates a nine-member regulatory council and replaces existing regulatory agencies with a unified statutory framework. (Knesset)

JAFAJ TAKE: The narrow vote is itself intelligence. This was not routine consensus legislation; it represents a meaningful regulatory and political division over Israel’s media architecture.

ACTION 2 — COMPULSORY MILITARY SERVICE

Action: Temporary extension of compulsory military service to 32 months
Date: July 17, 2026
Status: Passed
Context: Continuing defense manpower requirements.

The Knesset approved the Defense Service Bill (Amendment No. 29 and Temporary Provision), 2026, in second and third readings. The official Knesset record reports 43 YES, 12 NO and 1 ABSTAIN. The temporary provision extends compulsory military service to 32 months.⁶

JAFAJ TAKE: Israel is converting sustained wartime manpower pressure into a statutory obligation. This is potentially more consequential than a one-time emergency mobilization because it changes the expected manpower structure of the IDF.

ACTION 3 — IMPORT REFORM

Bill: “What is good for the US is good for Israel” import reform
Action: Final readings
Date: July 21, 2026
Status: Passed. (Knesset)⁷

JAFAJ TAKE: The measure connects domestic cost-of-living policy with regulatory alignment and greater reliance on U.S. standards.

Additional signal: The Knesset also passed legislation concerning adapted treatment for veterans suffering from PTSD, academic study tracks and commemoration of Golda Meir during the same legislative burst. (Knesset)

JAFAJ PRIORITY: CRITICAL

3. IRAQ — SECURITY, CYBERSPACE AND STATE CAPACITY

ACTION 1 — INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CRIMES LAW

Bill: Proposed Information Technology Crimes Law
Action: First reading
Date: July 6, 2026
Committees: Security and Defense; Legal
Status: Committee development toward second reading. (Iraq Parliament)

The bill establishes criminal penalties for attacks on data and information, privacy violations, threats to national security and sovereignty, and other technology-related crimes. (Iraq Parliament)

JAFAJ TAKE: Iraq is moving cybersecurity from an administrative concern into formal national-security criminal law.

ACTION 2 — AIR-DEFENSE FINANCING

Bill: Proposed Law on Financing Enhancement of Iraqi Air-Defense Systems
Action: First reading
Date: July 6, 2026
Status: Legislative process. (Iraq Parliament)

The proposal creates a legal and financial framework for acquiring, developing, operating and maintaining air-defense systems.

JAFAJ TAKE: Baghdad is attempting to institutionalize defense modernization rather than treat air-defense procurement as a series of isolated executive purchases.

ACTION 3 — MILITARY SERVICE AND RETIREMENT REFORM

The Security and Defense Committee continued discussion of amendments to military-service and retirement legislation, including the military-service law and internal-security forces’ retirement framework. It also continued consideration of the cybercrime proposal. (Iraq Parliament) On July 20–26, the Legal Committee also continued work on amendments to the Care of Minors Law and Advocacy Law and reviewed additional justice-sector legislation, reinforcing the broader legislative capacity-building pattern. (Iraqi Council of Representatives)

JAFAJ TAKE: The pattern is clear: Iraq is simultaneously rebuilding the hardware, personnel structure and legal architecture of national security.

ADDITIONAL WATCH — ELECTRICITY

On July 27, Parliament voted on recommendations to address the electricity crisis and referred them to the government after questioning the electricity minister. (Iraq Parliament)

JAFAJ PRIORITY: HIGH

4. MOROCCO — BROAD STATE MODERNIZATION

Morocco provides some of the best legislative metadata in the region.

ACTION 1 — COPYRIGHT

Bill: 013.26
Subject: Amendment of Law 2.00 on copyright and neighboring rights
Vote: 46 YES — 0 NO — 1 ABSTAIN
Date: July 13, 2026
Status: Approved by House of Councillors. (Chambre des Conseillers)¹¹

JAFAJ TAKE: This is a concrete modernization of Morocco’s intellectual-property framework.

ACTION 2 — NATIONAL STATISTICAL SYSTEM

Bill: 046.26
Subject: National statistical system
Committee: Finance, Planning and Economic Development
Committee vote: Unanimous
Plenary: Approved unanimously July 13. (Chambre des Conseillers)¹²

JAFAJ TAKE: Statistical architecture is strategic infrastructure. Better national data improves fiscal planning, economic policy and investor confidence.

ACTION 3 — HIGH COMMISSION FOR PLANNING

Bill: 047.26
Subject: High Commission for Planning
Committee: Finance, Planning and Economic Development
Committee: Approved unanimously
Plenary: Approved unanimously July 13. (Chambre des Conseillers)¹³

JAFAJ TAKE: Taken together with the statistical-system legislation, this suggests Morocco is strengthening the institutional machinery through which the state measures and plans the economy.

Additional major bills: Bill 045.26 on the National Council of Physicians passed 51–0–4; Bill 026.26 on senior public appointments passed unanimously; Bill 027.25 on professional journalists passed 42–4–7; and Bill 06.26 amending the law establishing the National School of Administration was approved unanimously.¹⁴

JAFAJ PRIORITY: HIGH

5. MAURITANIA — FISCAL + SECURITY + CUSTOMS

ACTION 1 — POLICE STATUTE

Bill: 26-032
Subject: Amendment of the National Police Statute
Date: July 21
Action: Discussed and voted. (Assemblée Nationale de Mauritanie)¹⁵

JAFAJ TAKE: Mauritania is strengthening the statutory foundation of internal security.

ACTION 2 — CUSTOMS STATUTE

Bill: 26-033
Subject: Amendment of the 2025 customs statute
Date: July 24
Action: Scheduled for plenary consideration and vote. (Assemblée Nationale de Mauritanie)¹⁶

JAFAJ TAKE: Customs legislation matters simultaneously for revenue, trade enforcement and border control.

ACTION 3 — REVISED FINANCE LAW

Bill: 26-034
Subject: Revised 2026 Finance Law
Status: Parliamentary consideration. (Assemblée Nationale de Mauritanie)¹⁷

JAFAJ TAKE: The combination of finance, customs and police legislation is more significant than any single measure. Mauritania is strengthening three core functions of the modern state at once.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: HIGH

6. SYRIA — BUILDING THE LEGISLATURE ITSELF

ACTION 1 — RULES OF PROCEDURE

Bill/Instrument: People’s Assembly Rules of Procedure
Articles: 231
Action: Final approval
Date: July 30
Vote: Majority
Status: Approved. (الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء – سانا)

The Assembly debated the rules for five consecutive days and amended multiple provisions before final adoption.¹⁸

JAFAJ TAKE: This is not merely procedural housekeeping. Syria is constructing the operating rules of a new legislative institution.

ACTION 2 — INITIAL DRAFTING

The rules were first drafted and legally reviewed before the Assembly began full debate on July 26. (الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء – سانا)

JAFAJ TAKE: The legislative trajectory shows Syria moving from institutional design to institutional operation.

ACTION 3 — FIRST LEGISLATIVE CYCLE

The adoption of the Rules of Procedure was described by the Assembly as the beginning of effective legislative work under the new political order. (الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء – سانا)

JAFAJ TAKE: The next major Syrian legislative signal will be the first substantive laws enacted under this new procedural framework.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: HIGH

7. EGYPT

ACTION 1 — TAX ADMINISTRATION

Parliament approved amendments to the Unified Tax Procedures Law, including stronger electronic-record and tax-compliance provisions.

JAFAJ TAKE: Egypt continues to use legislation to modernize revenue collection and formalize economic activity.

ACTION 2 — CITIZEN OVERSIGHT

The House approved referral of 34 reports from its Proposals and Complaints Committee to the government.

JAFAJ TAKE: This is an oversight indicator rather than ordinary legislation, but it provides a measure of parliamentary-government interaction.

ACTION 3 — SESSION CONCLUSION

The House concluded its first ordinary session of the third legislative term on July 22.¹⁹

JAFAJ TAKE: The current August legislative lull should not be misread as evidence of policy inactivity.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: MEDIUM-HIGH

8. TUNISIA

ACTION 1 — WORLD BANK / STEG ENERGY FINANCING

Bill: 2026/038
Subject: World Bank guarantee agreement supporting STEG’s energy-efficiency and governance program
Action: Plenary consideration July 10 and July 14. (مجلس نوّاب الشعب)²⁰

ACTION 2 — CLEAN TECHNOLOGY FUND

Bill: 2026/039
Subject: Clean Technology Fund guarantee supporting STEG’s energy program
Action: Plenary consideration July 10 and July 14. (مجلس نوّاب الشعب)

The legislation is designed to improve energy efficiency, governance, renewable generation, grid infrastructure and Tunisia’s energy security. (مجلس نوّاب الشعب)

ACTION 3 — AFREXIMBANK FINANCING

Bill: 2026/052
Subject: Amendment to Tunisia’s Afreximbank loan agreement to finance part of the state budget
Filed: July 10
Referred: July 14
Plenary: Scheduled July 28. (مجلس نوّاب الشعب)²¹

JAFAJ TAKE: Tunisia’s legislative agenda demonstrates the continuing intersection of energy reform, sovereign financing and international financial institutions.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: MEDIUM-HIGH

9. JORDAN

ACTION 1 — CIVIL STATUS LAW

Law: No. 9 of 2026
Status: Published/enacted.²²

ACTION 2 — TRAFFIC LAW

Law: No. 10 of 2026
Status: Published/enacted.

ACTION 3 — GAS LAW

Law: No. 12 of 2026
Status: Published/enacted.

JAFAJ TAKE: Jordan’s current legislative signal is administrative and energy-sector modernization rather than major political restructuring.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: MEDIUM-HIGH

10. OMAN

Oman’s Shura Council concluded its third ordinary session on July 12.²³

The Council reports 73 legislative achievements across the first three sessions of the tenth term, including 26 draft laws approved in joint sittings, of which 22 became laws through Royal Decree. It also reports 647 oversight instruments and 309 committee assignments. (Majlis Shura)

JAFAJ ASSESSMENT

The key intelligence point is not a single bill but institutional throughput.

Oman is using its legislative system to support Vision 2040 while maintaining a highly executive-centered political structure.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: MEDIUM

11. QATAR

ACTION 1 — STATE PROPERTY

The Shura Council approved an amended draft State Properties Law during its July 6 closing session.²⁴

JAFAJ TAKE: Public-asset administration is becoming a more formalized legislative function.

ACTION 2 — TRAFFIC LAW

The Council also approved a new Traffic Law.

JAFAJ TAKE: Regulatory modernization remains a central feature of Qatar’s legislative program.

ACTION 3 — AI GOVERNANCE

Committee work was extended to continue examination of a request concerning regulation and governance of artificial intelligence.

JAFAJ TAKE: AI governance is the most forward-looking item and could eventually produce substantive legislation.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: MEDIUM

12. SAUDI ARABIA

The Shura Council’s current activity is characterized more by oversight and performance-management recommendations than major new statutes.²⁵

ACTION 1 — EARLY-CHILDHOOD READINESS

Council recommendations called for an indicator measuring children’s readiness to transition from preschool to primary school.

ACTION 2 — TOURISM PERFORMANCE

The Council called for measurable indicators covering visitor numbers, share, spending and average stay.

ACTION 3 — GOVERNMENT REPORT OVERSIGHT

The Council reviewed government annual reports and reorganized specialized committees for the coming legislative year.

JAFAJ TAKE: Saudi legislative intelligence is increasingly about performance management—creating measurable indicators for Vision 2030 objectives.

JAFAJ PRIORITY: MEDIUM

13. ALGERIA

The People’s National Assembly opened its 10th legislative term on July 28 and established its new leadership.

Current signal: Institutional startup rather than substantive legislation.

JAFAJ TAKE: The important next indicator is the first substantive government legislative program.

PRIORITY: WATCH

14. BAHRAIN

No qualifying legislative action independently verified in the current research window.

JAFAJ TAKE: Monitor the next parliamentary calendar rather than infer policy inactivity from the absence of current plenary activity.

PRIORITY: WATCH

15. DJIBOUTI

No qualifying legislative action independently verified in the current research window.

PRIORITY: WATCH

16. LIBYA

No qualifying legislative action independently verified in the current research window.

Executive and institutional developments were deliberately excluded where they did not constitute parliamentary legislation.

PRIORITY: WATCH

17. SUDAN

No qualifying parliamentary legislative action independently verified in the current research window.

The distinction is important given Sudan’s continuing political and security environment.

PRIORITY: WATCH

18. IRAN

No qualifying Majlis action sufficiently verified for inclusion as a major current legislative development.

JAFAJ TAKE: Executive, security and foreign-policy developments should not be substituted for parliamentary action.

PRIORITY: WATCH

19. KUWAIT

No qualifying parliamentary action sufficiently verified in the current research window.

PRIORITY: WATCH

20. PALESTINE — WEST BANK AND GAZA

No qualifying legislative action sufficiently verified under the JAFAJ standard.

Palestinian institutional fragmentation means parliamentary activity cannot always be compared directly with functioning national legislatures.

PRIORITY: WATCH

21. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

No qualifying Federal National Council legislative action sufficiently verified in the current research window.

PRIORITY: WATCH

22. YEMEN

No qualifying legislative action sufficiently verified in the current research window.

Given Yemen’s institutional fragmentation, JAFAJ should continue to distinguish formal legislative activity from executive, military and factional actions.

PRIORITY: WATCH

REGIONAL LEGISLATIVE ASSESSMENT

1. SECURITY IS BECOMING LAW

Israel’s military-service extension and Iraq’s air-defense and cybercrime initiatives demonstrate a common regional pattern: security requirements are increasingly being translated into permanent statutory frameworks.

2. LEBANON IS MOVING FROM MORATORIUM TO LAW

Lebanon’s death-penalty abolition is historically significant because it turns a 22-year practice of non-execution into a formal legal prohibition. The subsequent amnesty creates a much more politically difficult implementation environment. (Reuters)

3. MOROCCO IS BUILDING STATE CAPACITY THROUGH LEGISLATION

Morocco’s statistical, planning, professional, appointment and intellectual-property reforms should be read as a package rather than isolated bills.

The combination suggests a deliberate effort to make the state more measurable, more professional and more administratively capable. (Chambre des Conseillers)

4. SYRIA’S LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY IS INSTITUTION-BUILDING

Syria is not yet producing the volume of substantive policy legislation seen in established parliaments. Instead, it is creating the machinery through which legislation will eventually be produced.

The 231-article Rules of Procedure are therefore more important than their procedural title suggests. (الوكالة العربية السورية للأنباء – سانا)

5. NORTH AFRICA IS FOCUSING ON STATE FUNCTIONS

Mauritania’s combination of finance, police and customs reform and Tunisia’s energy/sovereign-financing agenda illustrate a broader North African concern with revenue, infrastructure, security and state capacity.

JAFAJ KEY JUDGMENTS

1. LEBANON IS THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL CURRENT LEGISLATIVE WATCH.

The death-penalty abolition and general amnesty are not isolated reforms. Together they could alter criminal justice, prison populations, sectarian political bargaining and international judicial cooperation.

2. ISRAEL’S LEGISLATURE IS CODIFYING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE SECURITY ENVIRONMENT.

The 32-month service requirement is a direct statutory response to manpower needs, while the Communications and import bills demonstrate that domestic regulatory reform continues alongside security legislation.

3. IRAQ IS BUILDING A SECURITY STATE THROUGH LEGISLATION.

Cybercrime, air defense, military service and electricity oversight are converging into a broader state-capacity agenda.

4. MOROCCO IS THE REGION’S MOST ACTIVE CURRENT INSTITUTIONAL MODERNIZER.

Its legislative program is notable not because of one dramatic bill but because so many state functions are being revised simultaneously.

5. SYRIA’S NEXT TEST IS WHETHER PROCEDURAL INSTITUTION-BUILDING PRODUCES SUBSTANTIVE GOVERNANCE.

The Rules of Procedure establish the machinery. The next step is seeing what the Assembly actually legislates.

6. RECESS IS INFORMATION.

A parliament that has adjourned should not be reported as inactive in the broader political sense. The correct JAFAJ judgment is that no new qualifying legislative action was verified during the reporting period.

30-DAY JAFAJ LEGISLATIVE WATCH

PRIORITY	COUNTRY	WATCH
CRITICAL	Lebanon	Implementation of death-penalty abolition and general amnesty
CRITICAL	Israel	Military manpower policy and post-election legislative reset
HIGH	Iraq	Cybercrime, air defense and electricity measures
HIGH	Syria	First substantive legislation under new Assembly rules
HIGH	Morocco	Implementation of institutional/statistical reforms
HIGH	Mauritania	Finance, police and customs implementation
MED-HIGH	Tunisia	STEG financing and sovereign-financing bills
MED-HIGH	Egypt	Tax-administration implementation
MED-HIGH	Jordan	Energy and administrative legislation
MEDIUM	Qatar	AI governance and state-property implementation
MEDIUM	Oman	Next legislative cycle
MEDIUM	Saudi Arabia	Performance-management and oversight agenda

THE JAFAJ BOTTOM LINE

The MENA legislative environment is becoming more strategic.

The strongest legislative activity is no longer simply about routine regulation.

It is about how governments build capacity, respond to security pressures, restructure justice systems and institutionalize economic policy.

Three developments stand above the rest:

LEBANON is rewriting criminal justice.

ISRAEL is legislating the consequences of sustained security demands.

IRAQ is building legal infrastructure for a stronger security and service-delivery state.

At the same time, Morocco is modernizing the machinery of government, Mauritania is strengthening core state functions, and Syria is constructing the legislative institution that will eventually govern its transition.

The next JAFAJ question should therefore not be:

“What did parliament pass?”

It should be:

“What does the legislation enable the government to do next—and who gains or loses power, money, security or institutional control as a result?”

That is the intelligence layer.

 

 

ENDNOTES

SOURCE STANDARD. Endnotes provide claim-level traceability. Official parliamentary records are preferred. Secondary sources are used for rapidly developing events or implementation context. A missing vote or bill number means it was not reliably verified.

1. Reuters. “Lebanon Abolishes Death Penalty in First for Region.” August 11, 2026. https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/lebanon-abolishes-death-penalty-first-region-2026-08-11/.
2. Amnesty International. Reporting on Lebanon’s abolition of the death penalty and legislative trajectory, 2026. https://www.amnesty.org/.
3. Associated Press. “Lebanon Passes a Controversial General Amnesty Law.” August 12, 2026. https://apnews.com/article/c28161795512a8d93864688b5a9fa9fa.
4. Financial Times. “Lebanon Set for Mass Prisoner Release After Controversial Amnesty.” August 14, 2026. https://www.ft.com/content/7151c713-c572-4a13-bd8f-0a3155ef9e4f.
5. Knesset. “Approved in Final Readings: Communications Bill.” July 19, 2026. Official record reports 53 in favor and 48 opposed and describes the proposed independent broadcast authority and NIS 25 million annual budget. https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/News/PressReleases/Pages/press19726w.aspx.
6. Knesset. “Approved in Final Readings: Temporary Provision Extending Compulsory Military Service to 32 Months.” July 17, 2026. Official record reports 43 in favor, 12 opposed and 1 abstention. https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/News/PressReleases/Pages/press17726q.aspx.
7. Knesset. “Approved in Final Readings: ‘What Is Good for the US Is Good for Israel’ Reform.” July 2026. https://m.knesset.gov.il/EN/News/PressReleases/Pages/default.aspx.
8. Iraqi Council of Representatives. “The Council of Representatives Completes the Reading of Four Proposed Laws.” July 6, 2026. https://iq.parliament.iq/en/2026/07/06/the-council-of-representatives-completes-the-reading-of-four-proposed-laws/.
9. Iraqi Council of Representatives. “Decisions and Recommendations of Session (1).” July 6, 2026. https://iq.parliament.iq/.
10. Iraqi Council of Representatives. Legal Committee records concerning the Care of Minors Law, Advocacy Law and related justice-sector legislation, July 2026. https://iq.parliament.iq/.
11. Kingdom of Morocco, House of Councillors. Bill No. 013.26, amending Law No. 2.00 on Copyright and Neighboring Rights. July 13, 2026. Official vote: 46–0–1. https://www.chambredesconseillers.ma/fr/node/98.
12. Kingdom of Morocco, House of Councillors. Bill No. 046.26, concerning the National Statistical System. July 13, 2026. Unanimous plenary approval. https://www.chambredesconseillers.ma/fr/node/98.
13. Kingdom of Morocco, House of Councillors. Bill No. 047.26, concerning the High Commission for Planning. July 13, 2026. Unanimous plenary approval. https://www.chambredesconseillers.ma/fr/node/98.
14. Kingdom of Morocco, House of Councillors. July 13, 2026 legislative records: Bill No. 045.26, 51–0–4; Bill No. 026.26, unanimous; Bill No. 027.25, 42–4–7; Bill No. 06.26, unanimous. https://www.chambredesconseillers.ma/fr/node/98.
15. National Assembly of Mauritania. Parliamentary record for Bill No. 26-032, amendment of the National Police Statute. July 21, 2026. Official parliamentary record.
16. National Assembly of Mauritania. Parliamentary record for Bill No. 26-033, amendment of the 2025 Customs Statute. July 24, 2026. Official parliamentary record.
17. National Assembly of Mauritania. Parliamentary record for Bill No. 26-034, Revised 2026 Finance Law. July 2026. Official parliamentary record.
18. Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). “Syrian People’s Assembly Approves New Rules of Procedure in Final Form.” July 30, 2026. The rules contain 231 articles and were adopted by majority vote after five consecutive days of deliberation. https://sana.sy/en/syria/2333230/.
19. Egyptian House of Representatives. Parliamentary session records concerning conclusion of the first ordinary session of the third legislative term. July 22, 2026. https://www.parliament.gov.eg/.
20. Assembly of the Representatives of the People of Tunisia. Public session of July 10, 2026, considering Bills No. 2026/038 and No. 2026/039. https://www.arp.tn/proceeding/details/7917.
21. Assembly of the Representatives of the People of Tunisia. Public session of July 14, 2026, continuing consideration of Bills No. 2026/038 and No. 2026/039. https://www.arp.tn/proceeding/details/7922.
22. Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Official Gazette, 2026. Laws Nos. 9, 10 and 12 concerning civil status, traffic and gas. https://pm.gov.jo/.
23. Majlis Shura of Oman. “Shura Council Concludes the Third Ordinary Session (2025–2026) of the Tenth Term (2023–2027) on 12 July 2026.” July 2026. The Council reports 73 legislative achievements, 26 draft laws approved in joint sittings and 22 promulgated by Royal Decree. https://www.shura.om/News/%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A1-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%88%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%80%D9%80%D9%80%D9%80%D9%80%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D8%A7%D9%85%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D9%85%D8%AC%D9%84%D8%B3-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%88%D8%B1%D9%89-%D9%8A%D9%86%D9%87%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D9%85/?lang=en-GB.
24. Qatar Shura Council. Closing-session legislative record, July 6, 2026, concerning the amended State Properties Law. Official council records.
25. Saudi Shura Council. July 2026 session and recommendation records concerning early-childhood readiness, tourism performance indicators and government annual-report oversight. Official council records.

FINAL QUALITY RULE: The recurring JAFAJ report should preserve this format. Research depth may expand, but substantive country coverage must not be compressed merely to accommodate citations. Verified legislative metadata is added when available; missing metadata is never invented.