Crown Prince Abdullah’s initiative provoked widespread surprise, not because the idea is so startlingly new, but because of its source and timing.  A proposal for “full normalization” with Israel coming from an Islamic regime that bases its legitimacy on the austere Islamic doctrines of the Wahhabi seems both peculiar and progressive.  But Saudi Arabia’s long-cultivated image of stability, benevolence, and mystical communal harmony has given way under the endless glare of the American press.  Its educational system, too, is increasingly portrayed as a breeding ground for hatred of the West.  Something had to give.
Una propuesta para la ''normalización total'' con Israel, proveniente de un régimen islámico que basa su legitimidad en las austeras doctrinas islámicas de los wahabíes parece tanto peculiar como progresiva. Sin embargo, la imagen de estabilidad, benevolencia y armonía comunitaria mística que durante tanto tiempo ha cultivado Arabia Saudita ha cedido ante la interminable y penetrante mirada de la prensa estadounidense.