Abbas to Proceed with UN Membership

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Monday that he will proceed with plans to seek full UN membership for a Palestinian state at the UN headquarters.

This meeting followed a meeting held at the UN with Members of a donor support group for the Palestinians, including senior Israeli and Palestinian leaders discussing the Palestinian Authority's efforts to build state institutions.

According to presidential advisor, Nabil Abu Rdaineh Abbas plans to ask for a Security Council vote on Palestinian membership regardless of the certainty of a U.S. veto.

The Secretary General told Abbas he would "perform his duties under the U.N. charter," and called for the Israelis and the Palestinians to resume negotiations.

Abbas had earlier said that “hell has broken out” over Palestine’s statehood bid, and later realized it may carry risks for his Palestinian Authority which relies on international financial aid for survival in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Both the US and Israel have requested the resumption of the peace process but restricted it to “a bilateral dialogue” to be managed in Washington. However for almost two decades since the Oslo Accords in 1993, dialogue has not wielded results which pushed the Palestinian leadership towards the UN membership demand.

The Palestinian president said that he will present the Security Council with his application on Friday.

With a U.S. veto looming at the Security Council, the Palestinians have said they could also go to the UN General Assembly to request an upgrade in their standing from an "entity" to "a non-member state" -- a move they say is likely to pass with support from at least 126 members of the 193-member body.