AlQa'dah 8, 1433, Sep 24, 2012, SPA -- Dr. Abdulwahab Attar, permanent representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations in Geneva, stated that the greatest obstacle to peace efforts in the Middle East is Israel's acceleration of settlements in the occupied Palestinian and Arab territories. During a discussion of the Human Rights Council on the situation in the occupied Palestinian and other Arab territories in Geneva, Dr. Attar noted that a few years ago, the Jewish settlements have grown rapidly, particularly in Eastern Al-Quds. He stressed that the Kingdom's delegation to the meeting was briefed on the report of the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on the progress made in implementing the recommendations of the international fact-finding mission about the Israeli attacks in Gaza Strip. The report provided detailed information on the Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied territories as well as the visit of the U.N. Secretary-General and his meeting with Palestinian activists who talked about the impact of Israeli settlements on the daily life of the Palestinian people, considering them as one of the main obstacles to peace efforts. --More
