The United Nations Security Council committee considering the Palestinian membership application has agreed to produce a report on its work by November 11, UN diplomats said.
It was unclear whether the report would contain a recommendation on membership. One diplomat said that unless there is consensus on the council - which remains deeply divided - it will just be a summary of different positions. Another suggested it might include a straw poll on Palestinian membership by the 15 council nations, AP reported.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas delivered the Palestinian application to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sept. 23. Hours later, the Quartet of Mideast mediators — the U.S., U.N., EU and Russia — called for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in a month, with the goal of a peace agreement by the end of 2012.