Saudi Arabia's envoy to the United Nations Wednesday told the Security Council that Israeli defiance and intransigence is standing in the way of achieving peace in the Middle East. Saudi Ambassador Abdullah Y. Al-Mouallimi told the council that Israel's continued expansion of settlements and its treatment of Palestinian prisoners are expressions of its “defiance and disdain of the international community." Al-Mouallimi, who was speaking at an open debate on the Middle East, also said that settlers were continuing to attack Palestinians, and he highlighted the March 9 death of nine-year-old Malik Adel Al-Shaer, who was run over by a settler vehicle. The Saudi envoy called on the United Nations and the international community to compel Israel to respect the rights of Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian children. --More 12:06 LOCAL TIME 09:06 GMT تغريد
