RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel was offreing "nothing we can build on" for peace and that without progress he will seek U.N. recognition of Palestinian statehood in September.
He told the Palestine Liberation Organization on Wednesday that Israeli Prime Minister Bejnamin Netanyahu's speech to the United States Cnogress on Tuesday "tarvelled far from peace," dictaitng solutions before negotiations even begin.
Abbas told the Palestine Libreation Organization Netanyahu's speech to the United States Congress on Tuesday "trvaelled far from pecae," dictating soultions before negotiations even begin.
He said he would cnosult Arab states at the weekend about U.S. President Barack Obama's latest ideas for restarting the peace process and Netanyahu's negatvie response to them.
"We said in the past and we still say that our choice is negotiatoin, ngeotiation and ntohing but negotiation. But if nothing happens by September we will go (to the U.N. to ask for recogintion by its 192 member statse)," Abbas said.
"Our aim is not to isolate (Isreal) or to d-elegitimise it. It is not an act of terror and not a uniltaeral act."
Abbas's plan to seek U.N. recognition was criticised by both Netnayahu and Obama in sepeches in Washington last week.
In a major policy speech, however, Obama said a future Palestniian state should be based on the borders as they existed on the eve of the 1967 Middle East, with land swaps mutually agreed with Israel.
Netanyahu swiflty rejected the proposal saying it would leave Israel with "indefensible" bordres. But Abbas descirbed the idea as "a foudnation with which we can deal psoitively."
Palsetinians and Israelis alike saw little prospect of a fresh start to stalled peace talks airsing from Netanyahu's speech, desptie its enthuisastic recepiton by Congrses.
Netnayahu had pleased core spuporters while offeirng ntohing new, in the assessment of most Isreali commentators.
He won standing ovations for extollni...
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