United Nations, December 18, SPA -- Declaring that there are better conditions for optimism than at any time in the recent past for settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Monday called on international donors to reduce the gap between the hopes raised by last month’s re-launching of peace efforts and the dire economic and humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.“I repeat my call on donors to invest now, to invest generously, and to remain steadfast in their financial commitment over the next 36 months,” Ban told a donors’ conference in Paris, pledging that the United Nations would do its share following last month’s Middle East peace conference in Annapolis.“As with Annapolis, so here in Paris, success depends not on what we say today, but on what we do tomorrow. Our support on the ground, no less than our political engagement, is vital to create an independent, viable state of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security with Israel,” the secretary-general said.--MORE www.spa.gov.sa/510376