"We are going to the United Nations to attain full membership" from the UN Security Council, Abbas told an audience in Ramallah, tempering his rhetoric by adding that "we are not going to bring independence. Let's not exaggerate.

"We will continue to negotiate," he said.

Abbas says he wants the Palestinian territories "to be represented in its natural borders," calling disputed territories inhabited by Israeli settlers "illegal."

"We want a seat at the United Nations, and we don't want anything more," Abbas said.

He says Palestinian leadership does not seek to "isolate the state of Israel, but rather isolate the policies of Israel," saying he will head to the United Nations headquarters in New York "carrying an olive branch with us."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is also expected to speak next Friday at the United Nations, has said the move could complicate the peace process and further destabilize the region.

CNN