Hamas calls on Abbas to ditch Palestine recognition bid in UN

Hamas lawmakers urged Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday to abandon his plans to ask the UN to recognize the independence of the Palestinian state. Abbas confirmed last week he was planning to submit the application on September 19 and expected it to be formally lodged with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on September 21 or 22. The Hamas faction in the Palestinian Legislative Council issued a statement saying the Palestinian leader should avoid "unilateral steps that could harm the Palestinian cause" and concentrate instead on "consolidating efforts to reach national reconciliation and to resist [Israeli] occupation." The radical Islamic movement, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 and opposes the existence of Israel, has officially refrained from taking a position on statehood. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Monday that the Palestinian bid for UN recognition would "set back peace, and might set it back for years." Washington has also opposed the UN recognition of a Palestinian state, calling it a unilateral step in a conflict that should be resolved through negotiation. The U.S. administration has made clear that it would veto any Palestinian request to the Security Council for membership as a state. But a majority at the General Assembly is expected to support the promotion of the Palestinians to the status of non-voting observer state.