Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he will seek an upgrade of the Palestinian status at the United Nations when the General Assembly meets later this month, dpa reported.
The Palestinians should be upgraded to a non-member state at the UN from their current observer status, he said according to the Palestinian news agency Maan.
The move comes despite opposition from Israel and the United States to Palestinian efforts for statehood recognition through the UN. Human rights groups said success for Abbas' proposal would amount to an indirect recognition of Palestinian statehood.
The chances of a majority vote in the General Assembly are seen as good after an attempt for full membership at the UN last year failed in the Security Council, where the US had pledged a veto.
"When we go to the United Nations, we will say that we are an occupied state," the agency quoted Abbas as saying.
He said he believes a majority in the 193-member body is assured, pointing to the 133 states that have already recognized a Palestinian state.