Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he expected the Security Council to finish debating his nation’s application for UN membership in weeks.

Palestinians will seek recognition as a United Nations member-state in September given the deadlock in US-brokered peacemaking with Israel.

Direct talks with Israel will not resume unless it halts the building of Jewish settlements on occupied land, the Palestinian leadership said.

US envoy George Mitchell stepped up the pace of efforts to save Middle East peace talks launched four weeks ago.