Palestinians to apply for UN status upgrade in November

The Palestinian leadership has made the decision to apply to the UN for a non-member state status in November, a source said Wednesday. The decision was made Tuesday night during a meeting of the Palestinian leadership, the source said, adding that the request would be submitted to the world body on Nov. 15. The U.S. administration and some Arab governments have pressured the Palestinian National Authority to resume peace talks with Israel instead of seeking a unilateral recognition from the UN. To upgrade their status to a non-member state, the Palestinians need to get 98 votes among the UN General Assembly members, said Riad al-Maliki, the Palestinian foreign affairs minister. Last year, the Palestinians lost their UN membership bid after they failed to garner enough votes from the 15-member UN Security Council.