The upcoming week promises to be a dramatic one at the United Nations as a showdown looms over the issue of Palestinian statehood.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced this weekend that he would submit his bid for full membership in the United Nations to UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Friday during the annual General Assembly session in New York.
The Palestinians will be asking the UN to recognize an independent Palestine in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.
That prompted a swift response from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He said Sunday he was working closely with U.S. officials to make sure the issue of Palestinian statehood is killed off by the UN Security Council.
Netanyahu says the Palestinian attempt will fail because it is aimed at bypassing peace talks with Israel.
"The truth is, Israel wants peace, and the truth is, the Palestinians are doing all they can to torpedo direct peace talks," Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting.
"They must understand that despite the current attempt to bypass negotiations again by going to the UN, that peace is achieved only through direct negotiations," Netanyahu added.
For their part, Palestinians question Netanyahu's commitment to peacemaking and they have refused to return to the bargaining table.
Palestinians seek concessions
Palestinians say they are frustrated by their inability to win concessions from Israel, including a freeze on settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.
Israel has kept a tight grip on occupied lands, even while engaging in sporadic talks -- frozen since late 2008 -- on the terms of Palestinian statehood. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem, enforces a border blockade of Hamas-ruled Gaza and still has the ultimate say in the West Bank, despite limited self-rule there by Abbas's government.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said there was "close co-operation" with the U.S. to make sure the Palestinians' bid is shot down in the Security Council, the powerful body that must approve a membership bid. The U.S. has threatened to veto the move if it wins backing from nine of the Council's 15 members.
That would leave the Palestinians with the option of seeking a lesser status of non-member observer state at the General Assembly, a forum where they would expect to win the necessary simple majority of those present and voting.
Although that would be a largely symbolic victory, the Palestinians hope to use their elevated status on the international stage to press Israel for concessions in any future negotiations.
Step up for Israel, Boehner says
In the U.S., Republican House Speaker John Boehner said Sunday the U.S. commitment to Israel should be stronger now as the American ally faces challenges to its existence in the volatile Middle East.
In an address to the Jewish National Fund conference in Cincinnati, the Ohio Republican dismissed suggestions that Israel has isolated itself and he argued that the Jewish state stands above others as the "one true beacon of freedom and opportunity" in the region.
The U.S., he said, must stand by Israel's side "not just as a broker or observer -- but as a strong partner and reliable ally."
Boehner's speech comes amid renewed attention to U.S. President Barack Obama's policies toward Israel.
Republicans say the president isn't forceful enough on behalf of Israel, and political questions have been raised on whether the Republicans can capitalize on the discontent and make inroads with Jewish voters.
Last Tuesday, Republican Bob Turner scored a surprising win in a historically Democratic New York congressional district in part because of complaints about Obama's Mideast policies.
In May, Obama called for Israel's 1967 borders with mutually agreed land swaps to serve as the starting point in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. That proposal was rejected by Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, Norway's foreign minister says his country will back the Palestinian request.
In a Facebook post late Saturday, Jonas Gahr Stoere wrote "Palestinians have the right to go to the UN" and Norway is "ready to recognize a Palestinian state."
He also urged for talks to start between Israel and Palestinians, saying "only negotiations can solve things between Israel and Palestinians."
With files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press
