Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is preparing to submit his bid for UN recognition of Palestine as an independent state today in defiance of a US-led bid to stop him. He said he would deliver the application to UN chief Ban Ki-moon as planned.

The Palestinians will study alternatives to peace talks with Israel in the coming days, a top PLO official said , after the Jewish state gave the green light to build 238 new houses on war-won land.

A second round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended today without visible progress on the divisive issue of Jewish settlement construction, but the leaders did discuss a range of disputes standing in the way of a permanent deal.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said today that the “time is ripe” for Middle East peace, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas prepared for a second round of talks.

An adviser to Mahmoud Abbas said today that the Palestinian president sees no need to quit indirect Middle East peace talks over Israel’s assault on a Gaza-bound humanitarian aid ship.