A former US ambassador to the United Nations says a Palestinian attempt to gain UN recognition with or without a peace agreement with Israel means "next to nothing" even if it succeeds.
The Bush administration UN envoy John Bolton says the General Assembly is certain to support the Palestinian effort.
Palestinian delegations will make the rounds of nearly a dozen countries - including New Zealand - to try to build support for their bid to have the United Nations recognize a Palestinian state, the Boston Globe reported.
The Palestinian officials will visit New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and several other countries that had not yet endorsed the Palestinian plan for recognition, said Hana Amireh, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's decision-making Executive Committee.
But Mr Bolton said those effort would be meaningless without approval in the Security Council, where it almost certainly faces a US veto.
Visiting Israel on Friday, Bolton said Israel and the US should "not to take it so seriously."
The Palestinian Authority plans to seek UN recognition in September after prolonged deadlock in peace talks.
Bolton is in Israel along with other members of the Friends of Israel Initiative, a group founded last year by a former Spanish prime minister.
The Bush administration UN envoy John Bolton says the General Assembly is certain to support the Palestinian effort.
Palestinian delegations will make the rounds of nearly a dozen countries - including New Zealand - to try to build support for their bid to have the United Nations recognize a Palestinian state, the Boston Globe reported.
The Palestinian officials will visit New Zealand, Canada, Australia, and several other countries that had not yet endorsed the Palestinian plan for recognition, said Hana Amireh, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization's decision-making Executive Committee.
But Mr Bolton said those effort would be meaningless without approval in the Security Council, where it almost certainly faces a US veto.
Visiting Israel on Friday, Bolton said Israel and the US should "not to take it so seriously."
The Palestinian Authority plans to seek UN recognition in September after prolonged deadlock in peace talks.
Bolton is in Israel along with other members of the Friends of Israel Initiative, a group founded last year by a former Spanish prime minister.
