MUST-READS

• Saudi Arabia Stresses Need to Stop Israeli War on Gaza

  The Saudi government stressed on Tuesday the need to end the Israeli war on Gaza and for a ceasefire to be established. Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz chaired the cabinet meeting that was held in Riyadh. The government underlined the outcomes of the consultative meeting that it had called for to discuss the Israeli war on Gaza. The meeting called for lifting the restrictions imposed on the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

• Saudi foreign reserve assets rise to SAR 1.64T in January

  Saudi Arabia's international reserve assets went up 0.5% month-on-month (MoM) to SAR 1.64 trillion in January 2024, according to the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA). On a yearly basis, the Kingdom’s foreign reserve assets fell by 4%, or SAR 70 billion. Saudi Arabia’s reserve assets include investments in foreign securities, foreign cash and deposits, reserve position in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), special drawing rights (SDRs), and monetary gold.

• Commentary: Biden’s Grand Bargain to Remake the Middle East

  The Biden administration is laying the groundwork for an ambitious grand bargain that would tie rapprochement between Israel and Saudi Arabia to substantial steps toward Palestinian statehood, according to nine analysts and former U.S. government officials familiar with the plans. The long-shot diplomatic gamble could remake the Middle East and define U.S. President Joe Biden’s foreign-policy legacy, but it faces staggering challenges that many fear will be insurmountable.

• BBC follows Gaza’s tireless paramedics as they confront death and trauma at every turn

  During the first month of the war between Hamas and Israel, northern Gaza was under heavy Israeli bombardment. Paramedics from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Society, many of whom are volunteers, are the first to respond to calls on Gaza's emergency number, 101.

• Saudi Arabia’s Neom and MDLBeast create an ‘ultra-modern’ beach club

  The Sindalah Beach Club, located on the shores of the Red Sea, promises year-round experiences inspired by music and culture. MDLBeast, which is behind the annual Soundstorm festival, will curate the music scene at Sindalah, promising to bring in world-famous musicians, artists and DJs, as well as cutting-edge audio and visual installations. "Sindalah is bringing a new model for luxury travel and living powered by innovation and sustainability," said Antoni Vives, chief urban planning and islands officer at Neom. "MDLBeast will reimagine the typical beach club experience into a tech-enhanced journey."

• In Saudi Arabia, Tourism Is Being Used as a Force for Restoring Biodiversity

  Over the last few centuries, not much has changed in the village of Shuwaymis, which lies 400 miles and a dusty seven-hour drive north of Jeddah. But in 2001, a Bedouin told local teacher Mahboub Habbas al-Rasheedi that he'd found an undiscovered cache of rock art while grazing his camels. Mahboub spent the next several days searching for the site and eventually found hundreds of petroglyphs emblazoned on a honey-hued escarpment, including depictions of oryx, ostriches, leopards, cheetahs, and lions. Not only did the discovery uncover the region's largest collection of ancient rock art, dating back at least to the Bronze Age, but it added to scientists' understanding of the ecological history of the Arabian peninsula. They already knew that creatures like lions and the Arabian leopard had roamed the area before being killed off by overhunting in the last century, but they now recognized that these animals had inhabited the region as far back as 3,000 BCE.

• Saudi Arabia developing luxury train in bid to attract tourists

  As part of its effort to lure more tourists, Saudi Arabia is working with an Italian firm to build a luxury train that will carry passengers on overnight trips through two UNESCO World Heritage archaeological sites. The Dream of the Desert locomotive will be able to carry 80 travelers in 40 luxury cabins in 11 carriages, including a restaurant. The train, developed by the Italian Arsenale Group in an Orient Express style and operated by Saudi Arabia Railways, is expected to be built by summer 2025, with a maiden voyage the following November. The carriages are being built in southern Italy.

• Kushner calls Saudi Crown Prince “visionary leader” who has made the world better

  Jared Kushner called Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a "visionary leader" in an interview at the Axios BFD conference in Miami on Tuesday. Why it matters: Kushner was criticized for standing by MBS in the aftermath of Jamal Khashoggi's murder as a senior U.S. official and, more recently, for courting Saudi investments after leaving the White House. What he's saying: After some initial exasperation at being asked about Khashoggi's murder — "are we really still doing this?" — Kushner told Axios' Dan Primack that he had not seen the U.S. intelligence assessment that the crown prince ordered the assassination of the Washington Post columnist.

• Jared Kushner defends his equity firm getting $2 billion from Saudis after he left White House

  Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's former White House adviser and his son-in-law, defended on Tuesday his business dealings after leaving government with the Saudi crown prince who was implicated in the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Kushner worked on a wide range of issues and policies in the Trump administration, including Middle East peace efforts, and developed a relationship with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has overseen social and economic reforms but also a far-reaching crackdown on dissent in the kingdom.

• Fundamental shift in energy consumption by 2025: Saudi Aramco CEO

  Energy consumption in 2025 will change completely, driven by the interplay of supply and demand, Amin Nasser, CEO of Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco), said during the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC). Saudi Aramco is actively delivering on its commitment to energy provision and is poised to enhance both production capacity and daily output, Nasser added. The company is exploring opportunities to secure additional resources and attract investors across various energy sectors, including hydrogen, oil, and gas, in alignment with its primary goal of sustaining growth in gas, oil, and other energy domains.

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