Palestinians target settlements

RAMALLAH, West Bank - The Palestinians plan to ask the UN Security Council in the coming days to declare Israeli settlements illegal and demand a halt to their construction, officials said Wednesday, in a high stakes gamble aimed at increasing pressure on Israel.

A draft of the resolution obtained by The Associated Press calls the settlements obstacles to peace but does not ask for sanctions against Israel or any other concrete action. This would be a key element in a Palestinian campaign to rally international support for independence, even without a peace deal. Officials said the strategy reflects their disillusionment with sputtering U.S. peace efforts and Palestinian distrust of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The move - largely aimed at seeking U.S. support - bears huge risks. The U.S. has already balked at the resolution and might veto it. Even a U.S. abstention, a more likely option, would greatly diminish the resolution's significance. Israel blasted the measure as an effort to avoid negotiations.

The White House launched the latest round of peace talks on Sept. 2, but they broke down just three weeks later with the expiration of a limited Israeli freeze on West Bank settlement construction.

The Palestinians refuse to negotiate while Israel builds homes for Jews in the West Bank and east Jerusalem - areas the Palestinians claim for a future state. - AP