Ashrawi: UN will back Palestine state

A Palestinian leader predicted Saturday at least 150 U.N. member states will support an application for statehood by the Palestinian Authority. Hanan Ashrawi said she expects many countries to resist "American and Israeli pressure," The Jerusalem Post reported. She said the vote by the 193 member states will take place on Nov. 29, the 65th anniversary of the United Nations vote to partition Palestine into two states. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas addressed the U.N. General Assembly Friday. In his speech, he made no mention of Palestinian statehood, and Ashrawi suggested that was in response to U.S. pressure. Ashrawi is a longtime member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and a member of the authority parliament.