As important as the panel discussions were at the third Saudi Media Forum in Riyadh, it was the two announcements by the Ministry of Media that were truly headline worthy.

In Arabic, we have a famous saying that translates as “when the excuse is uglier than the sin.” This is exactly what can be said about the US justification on Friday for being the only country on the UN Security Council to oppose an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

One thing is for sure: as Benjamin Netanyahu said after the Hamas attacks on Oct. 7, Israel’s response “will change the Middle East”— perhaps the only words of wisdom the Israeli prime minister has uttered since this crisis began.

There is an old English saying that goes, “If you are going to tell people the truth, make them laugh. Otherwise they will kill you.” This could not have been more evident than in Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef’s recent interview with renowned television presenter Piers Morgan.