Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on the Chairman of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas to open direct negotiations in New York, which would continue in Jerusalem and Ramallah. According to a statement of Israeli foreign ministry, received by Prasar Bharti in Dubai today, Netanyahu proposed to President Abbas to begin peace negotiations instead of wasting time on futile unilateral measures. He added that the only way to achieve peace is through direct negotiations and not via declarations at the UN. President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to seek U.N. membership for the Palestinian state from the Security Council in the current session.AIR West Asia correspondent reports the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has told Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that he intends to submit an application on the 23rd of this month for Palestine to become a United Nations Member State. Palestine currently has observer status at the UN.Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been stalled since late September 2010 following Israel’s refusal to extend a 10-month freeze on settlement activity in the occupied Palestinian territory. That decision prompted Mr. Abbas to withdraw from direct talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which had only resumed a few weeks earlier after a two-year break.