The United States said on Monday that the best way to establish an independent Palestinian Authority state is through negotiations between the PA and Israel.
Responding to comments made Sunday by senior PA negotiator Saeb Erekat about a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state, State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said, "We support the creation of a Palestinian state ... But we think that the best way to achieve that is through negotiations by the two parties."
PA officials have also reportedly asked the European Union to back their plan to have the United Nations Security Council recognize an independent Palestinian state.