Israel will pull out of talks with the Palestinians if they ask the United Nations to recognize their statehood, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said on Friday.
"If a direct plea is issued there will hardly be any room left for negotiations," he said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will later on Friday formally submit an application for recognition of statehood to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, after his speech at the General Assembly.
Israel and the U.S. strongly oppose the move, saying the long-running Middle East conflict can be resolved only through negotiations.
