**Israel has rejected a move by the Palestinians to gain international recognition for an independent state, saying negotiations are the solution.**Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said such unilateral moves would unravel past agreements to reach Middle East peace.
The Palestinians said they will ask the UN Security Council to recognise an independent state, because of a lack of progress in restarting peace talks.
They are also upset over Jewish settlements in the West Bank.
They have also expressed disappointment with US failure to put enough pressure on Israel to halt the construction.
“We have not been negotiating the two states for 18 days or 18 months. For God’s sake, we have been doing it for 18 years. Now it’s a defining moment.”
Saeb Erekat
Chief Palestinian negotiator
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told the BBC that the Palestinians felt they had few options left as Israel was continuing to build Jewish settlements on territory it has occupied since the 1967 war.
The territory includes East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, where the Palestinians want to establish their state.
Mr Erekat said Arab foreign ministers decided to approach the Security Council with the idea following a meeting in Cairo on Thursday.
Mr Erekat said: "We have not been negotiating the two states for 18 days or 18 months.
“For God’s sake, we have been doing it for 18 years. Now it’s a defining moment.”
He said they would go to the UN after consultations with Russia, the European Union and other leading players in the international community.
“So we’re not in a rush, we’re going to prepare our homework very well and we’re going to explain our position to the international community before doing so.”
The Palestinians’ move reflects growing frustration amongst Palestinians with a deadlock in peace efforts, but it is largely symbolic, correspondents say.
‘No substitute’
The Palestinians already declared independence unilaterally in 1988.
The move was recognised by dozens of countries but never implemented on the ground.
But it was rejected by Mr Netanyahu, who said: “There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.”
He warned: “Any unilateral action would only unravel the framework of agreements between us and can only lead to one-sided steps on the part of Israel.”