Israel vows to block Palestinian bid to become full UN member

Israel has vowed to work with the United States to block a bid by the Palestinians for full membership in the United Nations, a move that would confer international recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said Wednesday that he will submit a request next month to the Security Council for full UN membership, according to the official Wafa Palestinian news agency.

"We are preparing to stop the initiative," said Israel's UN ambassador Danny Danon in a statement.

"The Palestinians pay terrorists and encourage violence yet seek to become a member state of the United Nations."
Danon accused Palestinian leaders of engaging in "destructive policies that have encouraged recent terror attacks" and said he was gearing up to block the initiative "in cooperation with the United States delegation."