New Zealand could receive a baptism of fire on the United Nations Security Council with Palestinian officials set to renew a bid for statehood.
Australia, in one of its final votes before the end of its two-year term on the security council last week, joined the US in siding against a resolution calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state and an Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories.
The resolution, submitted by security council member Jordan, fell short by one vote.
With Australia's term expiring at the end of 2014, New Zealand, along with other new non-permanent members Angola, Malaysia, Venezuela and Spain, will face pressure to pick a side.
"We'll go again to the security council, why not?" Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told officials in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday.
"Perhaps after a week.
"We are studying it, and we will study this with our allies and especially Jordan."
Council members France, China, Russia, Argentina, Chad, Chile, Jordan and Luxembourg supported the resolution, while Britain, Lithuania, Nigeria, South Korea and Rwanda abstained.
The US is likely to use its veto power to kill a resolution if it can't gather enough votes.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked the US and Australia for their votes and Nigeria and Rwanda for abstaining.
On Tuesday local time (Wednesday AEDT), New Zealand's work on the security council begins when UN permanent representative Jim McLay attends a briefing on the UN's Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali.
