Palestinians Still Firm on U.N. Bid

Palestinian diplomats plan to submit their application for statehood to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, even as world leaders pressure President Mahmoud Abbas to return to peace negotiations with Israel. The quartet of powers involved in brokering peace—composed of the U.N., European Union, U.S., and Russia—hope to set up a satisfactory timeline for new negotiations, along with a pledge to support Palestinian statehood if the negotiations should fail. However, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki said on Sunday, “Unfortunately, we didn’t get any solid or even medium-sized [offer] at all. As a result, yes, we are firm in our decision to go to the Security Council.”