The Palestinian Authority filed a letter of protest against Israel with the United Nations Security Council over Israeli construction in Judea and Samaria.

Monday´s letter from PA envoy Riyad Mansour accused Israel of being insincere in its claims to be ready to make peace with the Palestinian Authority.

He argued that Israel´s "illegal and destructive plans" for building new settlements will "prevent a two-state solution."

Officials in Ramallah demand Israel accept the indefensible pre-1967 lines as borders for a future PA state, release all Arab terrorists from its prisons, and halt all construction in the ´disputed territories´ before the now-moribund peace process can resume.

Israeli officials have said they a ready to resume talks immediately, and have rejected all preconditions saying are intended as a fait accompli by the PLO intended to forestall talks.

They note that a previous 10-month building freeze in Judea and Samaria intended to meet PA demands was rebuffed and answered with more preconditions, including a failed unilateral statehood bid at the United Nations Security Council in violation of the 1993 Oslo Accords.

Mansour´s letter comes two days before a scheduled meeting in Washington of representatives of the Quartet for Middle East Peace - the European Union, Russia, United Nations, and United States.

Also, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is set to receive a letter from PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat next Tuesday that is expected to include PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas´ restatement of Ramallah´s preconditions.

Netanyahu is expected to reject Abbas´ preconditions and demand the PLO return immediately to the negotiating table in good faith.

Abbas, in turn, is expected to turn to the 193-member UN General Assembly and ask for observer status for the PA. Abbas last September angrily rejected such a move, but his bid for full membership in the Security Council remains a dead letter.

The move is consistent with the PLO´s December 2011 decision to adopt "a strategy based on continuous efforts along with the international community to secure full recognition and full United Nations membership, pursuing internal reconciliation, and keeping up the popular resistance." (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 04/10/12)