The Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, on Monday, said the continuing construction of Jewish settlements by Israel in the occupied territories represented a major obstacle to realising peace in the Middle East.

The Cabinet statement comes after Jerusalem municipality served 
notices to the residents of Al-Bustan to vacate their homes within 72 hours.

The municipality claimed the houses in the area were built without permits, ignoring the fact that most of them were constructed before 1967.

Referring to the international conference in Cairo to mobilise funds for the reconstruction of Gaza, the Cabinet said, “Saudi Arabia hopes the conference will realise its objectives.”

habib@khaleejtimes.com