RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinians say a last-minute American effort has failed to stop them from moving ahead with their UN statehood bid.
Two senior White House envoys met Wednesday with Palestinian officials and tried to persuade them to drop their plan to ask the UN this month to approve their independence and instead resume peace talks with Israel.
A senior Palestinian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose the information, said the American envoys did not bring anything new concerning the peace process that would enable talks to resume.
The Palestinians say they are turning to the UN after years of sporadic, and inconclusive, peace talks with Israel. The United States and Israel fiercely oppose the UN bid.
