What’s an outdated stereotype or two among friends?

Saudi’s appointment to lead the UN’s top women’s rights forum continues to dominate coverage of the Kingdom in the international press over the weekend.

Most mainstream outlets are fully invested in outdated stereotypes about the Kingdom. See the Guardian | Deutsche Welle | The New York Times | CNN.

The counterpoint: Give Saudi Arabia a chance to prove itself as chair of UN Women’s Rights Forum, in The Hill.

MEANWHILE- Saudi and other Arab nations are prepared to “fully recognize Israel” in a future arrangement brokered by Washington, Bloomberg reported last week, citing statements by US President Joe Biden. “I’ve been working with the Saudis and with all the other Arab countries, including Egypt and Jordan and Qatar. They’re prepared to fully recognize Israel,” he said. “There has to be a post-Gaza plan, and there has to be a trade to a two-state solution. It doesn’t have to occur today. It has to be a progression and I think we can do that,” he added.

REMEMBER- Talks on normalization between Saudi and Israel have been formally on hold since October last year in the wake of the Israeli war on Gaza. Discussions have reportedly resumed in recent months, with officials here pushing for the recognition of an independent Palestinian state and an end to the crisis in Gaza as a prerequisite for any substantial progress for normalization of ties.