The Palestinian Authority applied on Tuesday to join 15 UN institutions, amid U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's last-ditch effort to revive peace talks with Israel.
In a surprise address at a meeting of the Palestinian Liberation Organization's action committee, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he had signed 12 documents that the PA would use to petition the UN.
Before signing the documents, Abbas asked the members of the PLO leadership present at the address to vote yea or nay - and the vote was unanimously in favor. Abbas then signed the papers, under which the PA will be joining 15 international organizations.
Abbas said the leadership made its decision after Israel neglected to announce a fourth round of prisoner releases.
Meanwhile, a member of the U.S. parole commission said on Tuesday that convicted spy Jonathan Pollard has waived a planned parole hearing.
Commissioner Patricia Smoot says the hearing had been scheduled for Tuesday.
A parole commission administrator, Stephen Husk, says the hearing was to have been held at the prison in Butner, North Carolina, and that Pollard, who is imprisoned there, would have attended. Husk declined further comment.
Source: Top Stories - Google News - http://ift.tt/1fL2c3U
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