Syria versus Saudi Arabia in the New York Times

I have noticed this lately: whenever Syria is mentioned in the New York Times, a label follows: "one of the Arab world’s most repressive countries."  Now, I don't have a problem with the characterization that Syria is one of the most repressive countries in the region, but I would argue that Saudi Arabia is probably THE most repressive state (on religious, social, political grounds) in the region, but the label never appears in the New York Times.  Is that because even with human rights assessments the criterion is always the extent to which a state serves or does not serve Israeli interests?  (Of course, I don't believe that the Syrian government has opposed Israel nearly enough, but the NYT is very impressed with Saudi services to Israel and coverage of the kingdom has gone softer over the years).