Palestinians to seek full U.N membership

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced on Friday that he will seek a full United Nations membership at the Security Council of the United Nations next week.

“We need to have full membership at the U.N.,” Abbas said in a televised speech, according to The New York Times. “We need a state, a seat at the United Nations and nothing more.”

The Times reports that American, Israeli and European diplomats have been trying to dissuade Abbas from taking this step. The U.S. has said that it will exercise its veto power on the security council to block any Palestinian statehood bid. But the Times points out that a veto could "serve as another blow to American credibility in the Arab world, as the Obama administration tries to place itself on the side of protesters in Arab autocracies seeking freedom, justice and a notion of dignity."

In the past week, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been speaking publicly in support of the Palestinians' U.N. bid.

“Recognizing the Palestinian state is not an option, it is an obligation,” Erdogan said at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. “It is time for the flag of Palestine to be hoisted at the United Nations.”

An official with the Arab League, which was recommending that the Palestinians seek limited statehood recognition from the General Assembly, told the Times Friday that the League will stand behind Abbas.

CNN reports that Abbas' speech also tried to manage Palestinians' expectations by saying "we are not going to bring independence. Let's not exaggerate."

He says Palestinian leadership does not seek to "isolate the state of Israel, but rather isolate the policies of Israel," saying he will head to the United Nations headquarters in New York "carrying an olive branch with us."

According to CNN, a successful vote in either the Security Council or the General Assembly would not establish a Palestinian state with defined borders, but it would allow the Palestinian government to pursue legal actions against Israel.