UNITED NATIONS - The UN must assume its responsibilities and stop the vicious settlement activities and continuing aggression in the Middle East, Omar Al Oyaidi, who is the representative to the UN of Saudi Arabia, said here on Thursday on behalf of the Arab Group.

"There is an urgent need to revive the peace process in the Middle East," Al Oyaidi said while addressing an open debate of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question.

The Arab Group representative said that "the vicious settlement activities and the continuing aggression against the unarmed Palestinian people in Gaza must stop, the Israeli siege needs to be ended, the crossings to and from Gaza needs to be opened and the crossing agreement needs to be activated."

The meeting took place at a time when the Israeli government is building illegal settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem. Al Oyaidi said that the Arab-Israeli conflict "overwhelms all the issues in the Middle East, for there is no other regional conflict that affects international peace more."

He said that the situation is worsened by the absence of good intentions on part of the Israeli government, "who instead of seriously being engaged in the peace process, continues to confiscate more Palestinian territories and build illegal settlements to create new facts on the ground, and continues to kill Palestinians, unlawfully evict and confiscate their lands."

Though most member states represented in the Council issued statements against Israeli settlement activities, a "unified position" is needed reflecting this consensus, Al Oyaidi said.