The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Abdullah bin Yahya Al-Mua'lemi said that in its capacity as responsible for the Holy Lands in Makkah and Madinah, the Kingdom expresses its deep concern over Israel's continuing assaults on East Al-Quds and Al-Aqsa Mosque and its attempts to destroy, burn and undermine the foundations of the Mosque. In a speech at a meeting of United Nations Security Council last night on the situation in the Middle East, he said that Israeli occupation authorities have been still going on in their abhorrent methods of displacement and expulsion of Palestinians, arbitrary detention, ill-treatment of prisoners as well as their continuing settlements building and expansion. Ambassador Al-Mua'lemi noted that the Arab states in their confirmation of the desire for peace had adopted unanimously the initiative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to end Arab-Israeli conflict in all its aspects including an end to Israeli occupation of Syrian Arab Golan Heights, the occupied Lebanese territories, and the establishment of a Palestinian state, indicating that the initiative has received a wide international acceptance but Israel's rejection. He appealed to the Security Council to take actions to break the siege on Gaza, remove settlements, end occupation, and to recognize an independent Palestinian State on the territory of Palestine, within the borders of June 1967 with its capital of Holy Al-Quds. --More
