Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said today there was no alternative to negotiations to secure peace and that any unilateral moves by the Palestinians would unravel past agreements.
Palestinian officials said they were planning on taking their quest for independence to the UN Security Council, aiming to secure international support for a state.
"There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and any unilateral path will only unravel the framework of agreements between us and will only bring unilateral steps from Israel's side," Mr Netanyahu said.
Mr Netanyahu, who was addressing a forum on the Middle East in Jerusalem, did not make a direct reference to the Palestinians' decision to turn to the UN for recognition for a future state.
He also made no mention of the possible unilateral steps that Israel would make should the Palestinians unilaterally seek international support for a state.
Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, said earlier today there was no time frame for the diplomatic initiative to secure backing for the state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "When we are ready, we will go," he told Reuters.
Palestinian officials are preparing to ask the United Nations to endorse an independent state without Israel's consent because they are losing hope they can achieve their aspirations through peace talks.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Israel's Army Radio that frustrated Palestinians had decided to turn to the UN Security Council after 18 years of on-again, off-again negotiations with Israel.
"The purpose of such a move is to keep hope alive in the minds of the Palestinians," he said.
US efforts to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are deadlocked. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the Palestinians to negotiate with him but they refuse, saying Netanyahu must first stop building settlements on lands they claim.
Even if the UN endorses the Palestinian idea, it would be virtually impossible to implement while Israel remains in control of the West Bank and east Jerusalem — captured land where the Palestinians want to build their state. The Palestinians already declared independence unilaterally on Nov. 15, 1988. The move was recognised by dozens of countries, but never implemented on the ground.
In the meantime, the Palestinian prime minister has launched a two-year development plan mean to lay the groundwork for independence.
Mr Erekat declined to say when the Palestinians would make their appeal to the UN. But Nimr Hammad, an adviser to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said they "have no intention of rushing" to the Security Council.
"We are going to have to prepare for this well and to hold political and diplomatic talks. We want the Security Council to discuss this only after we've been given assurances," he told the Israeli daily Maariv. "There is no point in rushing just so that we collide with an American veto."
As one of the five permanent members of the Security Council, the US wields veto power over any resolution. Israeli media predicted that the US, Israel's key ally, would veto the move.
Agencies