US President Barack Obama has urged his Palestinian counterpart to end his bid for full UN membership and instead seek upgraded status in the world body.
President Obama earlier urged Abbas to drop his bid for full UN membership and to instead seek upgraded status in the world body.
Obama made his pitch during a speech at the opening session of the UN General Assembly.
The US leader will likewise argue in private against the Palestinian drive for UN membership when he meets with Abbas later in the day.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the French leader, joined in the call for Abbas to set aside his bid for UN statehood recognition.
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US officials concede they cannot stop Abbas from officially launching his case for the Security Council's approval of the statehood effort, but also make the case for the Palestinian leader to essentially drop the move for statehood recognition after delivering his letter of intent to the UN.
Abbas was expected to announce a formal request for statehood recognition on Friday when he speaks to the General Assembly. But it could take weeks or months for the UN to act on the Palestinians' request.
BACK TO NEGOTIATIONS
From the dias at the General Assembly hall, Obama forcefully called for a return to negotiations.
"Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN - if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now," the president said.
"Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians who must live side by side. Ultimately, it is Israelis and Palestinians, not us, who must reach agreement on the issues that divide them."
"I'm not sure it's fair to point the finger at Israel and blame us for the failure (to make) a political breakthrough," Regev told SBS.
"Prime ministers have said let's talk about 1967 borders ... (Former) prime minister Olmert even talked about splitting Jerusalem .. The Palestinian answer was no."
However, those offers were always made while Jewish settlements continued to be built in disputed areas of the West Bank, recognised internationally as being Palestinian land.
And while Obama will formally ask Abbas not to pursue the statehood bid, the mission is actually directed at containing the fallout by urging the Palestinian leader not to push for an actual vote in the Council, where the US has promised a veto.
A delay would give international peacemakers time to produce a statement that would be the basis for resumed Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
Obama also met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who arrived in New York early on Wednesday.
With Obama at his side, the Israeli leader said the Palestinian bid to appeal directly to the UN was a short cut that "will not succeed", echoing the US president's words from moments earlier. Netanyahu lauded Obama for speaking up on principle.
PALESTINIANS RALLY
In carefully orchestrated demonstrations, thousands of flag-waving Palestinians rallied on Wednesday in towns across the West Bank to show support for their president's bid for UN recognition.
Civil servants and schoolchildren were given time off to participate. Despite the largely low-key mood, a new poll indicated an overwhelming majority supports Abbas's quest for UN recognition of a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, the areas Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast War.
With Abbas determined to seek membership rather than upgraded status, the Palestinian delegation relentlessly knocked on diplomatic doors at the UN trying to sell their case for international recognition.
Netanyahu, issued dire warnings against hasty action as he boarded his jet for New York. Obama plans to meet with Netanyahu as well as Abbas.
The issue of the unilateral Palestinian declaration of statehood, born of decades of frustration and failed negotiations with Israel, has consumed diplomats who are gathering for Wednesday's opening of the annual UN General Assembly ministerial meeting.
