The Palestinian president announced Friday that he would seek recognition of a Palestinian state at the Security Council of the United Nations next week, a move strongly opposed by Israel and the United States and adding significant tension to one of the most intractable conflicts in the Middle East.
The announcement by the president, Mahmoud Abbas, in a televised speech delivered at his headquarters in Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, confirmed a strategy that Palestinian officials have been moving toward for months as their frustration over stalled peace talks with Israel has intensified. American, Israeli and European diplomats have struggled to dissuade Mr. Abbas and his aides from taking such a step.
“We need to have full membership at the U.N.,” Mr. Abbas said in the speech, which was broadcast live on Al Jazeera and other outlets. “We need a state, a seat at the United Nations and nothing more.”
He added: “We are going to the Security Council.”
