Obama administration attempts to forestall Palestinian statehood declaration attempt at upcoming UN meeting.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is set to declare Palestinian statehood at the September 20, 2011 UN meeting, an eventuality that the Obama seeks to forestall through new calls for continuance of peace talks with Israel. The administration has threatened to veto said action at the upcoming meeting. Under UN governing rules, any member of the Security Council can veto proposed motions, and the United States has made it clear that they will exercise their right to do so. The dual problem with a Palestinian statehood declaration is that a veto would alienate the Palestinian people at a time of general unrest in the wake of the Arab Spring while a non-veto would anger the US’s closest ally in the region, Israel. The State Department has apparently issued cables to 70 member-states requesting that they oppose any attempt at unilateral action on the part of the Palestinians in an attempt to stave off or limit any majority approval the Palestinians may receive for the motion in the General Assembly.