Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said Friday he may seek non-member status for Palestine at the United Nations if peace talks with Israel do not resume.

Abbas, speaking in Paris following a meeting with France’s newly elected president, Francois Hollande, said seeking non-member status would be the next move “if we are not returning to the negotiations.”

The Palestinians currently have observer status at the UN and an upgrade by the General Assembly to “non-member” would give Palestine recognition as a “state” — a move that could open the way for Palestinians to take legal action against Israelis through the International Criminal Court.

“We went to the Security Council. We did not obtain the vote necessary,” Abbas said. “If we don’t return to the (peace) negotiations, we’ll of course go to the General Assembly to obtain the status of non-member state, as is the case for the Vatican.”

“Of course, we are going to encounter many obstacles,” he said.

Abbas, however, did not specify when the Palestinians might take their bid to the General Assembly.

The Security Council blocked the Palestinians’ bid to become a full member last September after they failed to get the required support of nine of the Security Council’s 15 members.

The US insists on a negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before Palestine joins the UN. The US says it would veto a resolution recommending membership now — leaving the Palestinians the option of going to the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes.

Palestinians have refused to resume talks unless Israel stops settlement building in the West Bank. At the press conference, Abbas conditioned a return to the negotiating table on Israeli permission to import weapons for the PA security forces and the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

“As for the negotiations, I just want to say that the ball is in Mr. Netanyahu’s court,” said Abbas, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “If Mr. Netanyahu agrees to end the colonization and recognize the borders, we will be inclined to take steps in this direction.”

Following the meeting with Abbas, Hollande called for the immediate resumption of peace talks. Hollande added that only through renewed negotiations could the Palestinian goal of statehood be achieved.

“Today, we must do everything to facilitate the recognition of a Palestinian state via a negotiated process,” Hollande told a news conference. (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 06/08/12)