US President Barack Obama, May 25, 2011

“I strongly believe that for the Palestinians to take the United Nations route rather than the path of sitting down and talking with the Israelis is a mistake; that it does not serve the interests of the Palestinian people, it will not achieve their stated goal of achieving a Palestinian state.” US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, Dec. 10, 2010

“For two years, you have heard me and others emphasize again and again that negotiations between the parties is the only path that will succeed in securing their respective aspirations…Unilateral efforts at the United Nations are not helpful and undermine trust. “

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, June 7, 2011

"We want a Jewish state of Israel alongside an independent Palestinian state, unilateral measures are not helping at all."

German FM Guido Westerwelle, June 15, 2011

"I’d also like to make one thing very clear here: we oppose unilateral steps…Unilateral steps would only exacerbate the problems, would not bring us closer to peace, and would probably have the exact opposite effect."

Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release, June 11, 2011

[Dutch FM Uri Rosenthal] said that he strongly opposes the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state.

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi, June 13, 2011   

"We don’t think a unilateral resolution can help advance peace, not by Palestinians or by Israelis. The way to advance peace is via negotiations."

Embassy of France Statement (announcing French Foreign Minister Alan Juppe’s visit to Middle East), May 30, 2011

[The FM will stress] the urgency of creating a constructive dialogue between the two sides to reach an agreed upon solution, the only one that has the ability to put an end to the current status quo.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague, July 18, 2011

"We want Israelis and Palestinians to return to direct talks. The position on recognition is one that we will decide on if necessary come September, but it is far preferable for talks to resume."

British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould, July 13, 2011

"We are worried that September will be a damaging moment for the future of peace. We are worried that it will make it more difficult in the matter of the trust between the sides. We are worried that this will divert the main message that peace must come about by means of talks between the sides...Our preference is to avoid a situation in which we have to choose either way in a decision that we think is dangerous."

Spokesman for Canadian FM John Baird, July 10, 2011

“Our government's long-standing position has not changed. The only solution to this conflict is one negotiated between and agreed to by the two parties…As G8 leaders declared at Deauville, unilateral action is ultimately unhelpful.”

Meeting of G-8 Foreign Ministers, Chairman’s Summary, March 14-15, 2011

Ministers considered that a long-term solution to this conflict can only be achieved through negotiations…Ministers called on parties to refrain from unilateral actions and to create an atmosphere conducive to peace. Ministers strongly reaffirm that unilateral actions by either party cannot prejudge the outcome of negotiations and will not be recognised by the international community. 

European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, June 13, 2011

"Unilateral actions simply cannot bring lasting peace in the way that comprehensive negotiation would do."

In a poll conducted by Stanley Greenberg via the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion (June 22-July 8, 2011), only 4% of Palestinians said a top priority for the PA should be getting the UN to recognize Israel. 83% said it should be creating new jobs. In a June 2011 poll conducted by Dr. Khalil Shikaki of the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, when asked to name the issue which should constitute the PA's top priority, the highest percentage of respondents answered "the spread of unemployment and poverty." The poll also found that 70% of Palestinians do not believe that any positive change will come from a unilateral declaration of statehood in the absence of an agreement with Israel.

Nabil Amr, member of the PLO Central Council and a former PA minister and ambassador, told the newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi on July 20, 2011 "I, personally, will propose postponing the U.N. bid for another year, so that we can plan for it better than we have done to date... the Palestinians have climbed the highest tree, and there is no guarantee that they can safely climb down from it."

According to a report in Haaretz, senior European diplomats and Israeli officials told the newspaper that "More and more senior Palestinians are beginning to reconsider the approach to the United Nations." Those opposed, according to the report, include PM Salam Fayyad, former PA PM Ahmed Qureia and the former Palestinian UN envoy Nasser al-Qudwa.

On Saturday, August 27,P.A. President Abbas said in a speech to Muslim leaders in Ramallah: "Don't order us to recognize a Jewish state. We won't accept it".