Hanan Ashrawi, a leading member of the Palestine Liberation Organization [PLO], said today’ that the U.N. initiative was a step towards “breaking Israel’s power hold over us and the American monopoly over peacemaking.”

Hanan Ashrawi

She also warned of “hysterical” Israeli responses to the diplomatic move, adding that reports of the Israeli army training Jewish settlers to confront possible Palestinian protests was a step “that could blow up in all our faces.”

The Palestinians say that heading to the U.N. General Assembly in New York is an attempt to strengthen their position before any resumption of peace talks aimed at securing their independence in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

Israeli government, which captured that land in 1967, says that the Palestinians’ move is an attempt to undermine its own legitimacy. The United States, its closest ally, is opposed to the initiative.

Palestinian officials have said they will apply for full U.N. membership for Palestine. But Ashrawi, who is traveling to New York as part of the Palestinian delegation, said there was no decision as yet/

“We have several options and alternatives and we are keeping all our options and alternatives open. We are still discussing with all our friends … the best, most effective means of addressing the U.N. and getting membership,” she told Reuters.

Given the certainty of failure in the Security Council, the Palestinians’ best hope of success is to table a General Assembly resolution that would upgrade their status to that of “a non-member state” — equal to the standing of the Vatican.

Arguing the case for the move, Ashrawi said it would allow the Palestinians to better hold Israel to account. Recognition as a state is expected to give the Palestinians access to dozens of U.N. agencies and the International Criminal Court.

“The value is we are taking the Palestinian question back to the international community and international law,” she said. “We are also designating our land as occupied territories and therefore Israel is an illegal belligerent occupant and has to be held accountable.”

Ashrawi said: “It is very clear that the Israelis are planning something that could blow up in all our faces. The most important thing is this escalation in terms of creating a vigilante group of all the illegal settlers in the West Bank, they already are creating a reign of terror,” she said. “This is absolute irresponsibility.”