RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian president says he is seeking U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood this fall in the hope it will give the Palestinians more leverage in negotiations with Israel.
President Mahmoud Abbas says recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem would enable Palestinians to face Israel as citizens of a country, even if occupied, “and not as a vanquished people ready to accept whatever terms are put in front of us.”
He says it would also pave the way for legal action against Israel, including at the International Court of Justice.
Abbas made the comments in an opinion piece in The New York Times on Tuesday, explaining in the greatest detail yet why he is turning to the U.N.
Israeli officials had no immediate comment.