Palestinian Authority To Seek UN Recognition

GAZA CITY, GAZA - AUGUST 17: A mourner reads the Quran as he attends the funeral of Palestinian Saad al-Majdalali who was shot by border guards after venturing too close to the Israeli fortifications on August 17, 2011 in Gaza City, Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will formally submit the application for Palestinian statehood to the 66th United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 20th. The Palestinians and the Israelis are taking part in global diplomatic lobbying to win support for their differing positions on statehood. The Palestinian bid arises from two decades of on-and-off peace talks that have failed to produce a deal. The ultimate goal of the Palestinian Authority is to end Israeli occupation and to establish a sovereign and independent state on the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)