Abbas officially submits Palestinian application for full UN membership

“Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Friday handed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon an official application for full UN membership on Friday, moments before he was due to address the UN General Assembly.

"This is a historic day in which the Palestinians are demanding the right for independence," said senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat.

Abbas is expected to speak at the UN General Assembly at around 12:30 A.M. EST, or 7:30 P.M. in Israel. Netanyahu is due to deliver his speech about 45 minutes afterward.”