UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council will hold consultations on Palestine's application to become a UN member state on Monday, according to Lebanese Ambassador Nawaf Salam, the president of the council this month.

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday submitted an official request to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for full Palestinian membership.

Many considered the move a brave challenge to the United States and Israel, who are opposed to the bid.

The Middle East diplomatic quartet, comprising the UN, the European Union, Russia and the United States, on the same day issued a statement reiterating appeals to the Israelis and Palestinians to resume direct bilateral negotiations without delays or preconditions.

It remains unclear how long it will take for the council to study the Palestinian application before it votes on the bid.

Speaking at the UN General Assembly on Friday, Abbas said no one "with a shred of conscience" could reject the Palestinian application for full UN membership.

"Our efforts are not aimed at isolating Israel or delegitimizing it, we only aim to delegitimize the settlement activity," he added.

Abbas repeated on Sunday his refusal to talk with Israel without a settlement freeze.

Thousands of Palestinians cheering and waving flags gave Abbas a hero's welcome in the West Bank on Sunday, as he told them triumphantly a "Palestinian Spring" had been born following his historic speech to the UN last week.

Responding to Abbas' bid for UN membership, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the Palestinians should first make peace and then declare their state, and that peace in the Middle East will only be achieved through direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, and not through UN resolutions.

"Israel is prepared to have a Palestinian state but we are not willing to have another Gaza," said Netanyahu.

Shortly after the speeches, the Israeli military said it had raised alert levels after getting information that Gaza militants wanted to mount an attack on the frontier with Egypt, Reuters reported.

Hamas, the Palestinian Sunni Islamic political party that governs the Gaza Strip, dismissed the attempt of Abbas, who holds sway in the West Bank.

A spokesman for Hamas told French news agency AFP that Abbas' speech to the UN was an emotional one which succeeded in presenting Palestinian suffering but failed to discuss ways of confronting the occupation.

On Tuesday, China said it backs Palestine's efforts to secure UN membership.

"China understands, respects and supports Palestine's bid for UN membership," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said at a daily media conference.

China has always supported the Palestinians' campaign to restore their legitimate rights, Hong said.

Hong said seeking independent statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinians, lays a foundation and precondition for the peaceful coexistence of Palestine and Israel, and works toward creating lasting peace in the Middle East.

The US has made clear it will veto any Palestinian statehood resolution in the Security Council.

Earlier at the UN, before Abbas submitted the application, US President Barack Obama said "a genuine peace can only be realized between the Israelis and the Palestinians themselves".

"Israelis must know that any agreement provides assurances for their security. Palestinians deserve to know the territorial basis of their state," said Obama.

Agencies contributed to this story.

China Daily

(China Daily 09/26/2011 page11)