The UN Security Council on Monday held its first talks on the historic Palestinian bid for UN membership amidst frenzied lobbying for and against the application. International powers also stepped up demands for Israelis and Palestinians to end the one-year old freeze on direct talks, with China and Germany becoming the latest at the UN summit to call for negotiations. The Palestinian bid at the Security Council faces an uphill struggle however and diplomats held out little hope that Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas or Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would allow talks any time soon. Abbas made his application for Palestinian membership to UN leader Ban Ki-moon on Friday and it was sent straight away to the Security Council which must approve any addition to the 193 members. The United States has vowed to veto any resolution in favor of the Palestinians, but a technical committee will examine the application putting back any vote for several weeks.
