The UN Security Council on Wednesday pushed back a decision on a Palestinian bid to join the United Nations in a move that will give more time to international efforts to revive direct talks.
But UN envoys for the two foes wrangled over who is to blame for the latest year-old negotiations deadlock, with diplomats warning both sides are hardening their positions.
The 15-member Security Council sent the bid made by President Mahmoud Abbas last Friday to a special membership committee to give its verdict.
A full session of the council met for barely two minutes in the first public discussion of the bid that the United States has vowed to veto when it comes to a vote.
"Unless I hear a proposal to the contrary I shall send the application of Palestine to the committee on new members," said Lebanon's UN ambassador Nawaf Salam, president of the council for September. No comments were made and Salam hurriedly brought the gavel down to get the meeting over.
The membership committee, made up of all 15 council nations, will hold its first meeting on Friday.
The Palestinian delegate at the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, welcomed the move.
"We are grateful to the Security Council for moving decisively and clearly on our application," Mansour told Reuters. "The process is moving forward step by step, and we hope that the Security Council will shoulder its responsibility and approve our application."
Mansour reiterated that the Palestinians hoped that the process would not take too long. President Mahmoud Abbas has said that he wants the review over within weeks.
The standing committee will hold its first meeting on Friday.
Normally, the review period for a membership application is a maximum of 35 days, but Western diplomats say that this limit can be waived and might take much longer for the PLO's bid.
The US has pledged to veto the application, which needs council approval in order to be handed to the UN General Assembly for confirmation. So far, Western diplomats say, the PLO only has six certain votes.
Security Council resolutions need nine votes in favor and no vetoes from the five permanent members in order to pass.
The Israeli ambassador, Ron Prosor, acknowledged that Israel is working with the United States to get Security Council members to oppose or abstain in any vote on Palestinian membership.
"Yes we are both working, and truthfully, on both sides to have a bloc of countries that basically would say ladies and gentlemen go back to direct negotiations, sit down and talk this thing with each other," he told reporters.
The PLO is also sending high level delegations to council members such as Gabon, Bosnia and Nigeria.
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