Palestinian leadership to seek UN agency membership in move that may derail peace talks

Published April 1st, 2014 - 05:47 GMT

Abbas' decision to re-seek membership at UN agencies may derail final pushes to keep Israeli-Palestinian peace talks on the table (File Archive/AFP)

President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday said the Palestinians would seek membership in international organizations after Israel failed to release a batch of Palestinian prisoners on schedule.

In a televised speech, Abbas said he had started the process to sign agreements with 15 United Nations agencies and organizations and would pursue joining more.

"The Palestinian leadership has unanimously approved a decision to seek membership of 15 UN agencies and international treaties, beginning with the Fourth Geneva Convention," Abbas said after signing the demand.