A PLO official said Wednesday that the Palestinian leadership will continue its "political battle" at the UN even if the upcoming September bid fails.

Speaking to Voice of Palestine radio, PLO executive committee member Saleh Rafat said that if the US vetoes Palestine’s UN bid for statehood in September, "we will go back again, and five times more" with initiatives for UN recognition.

Rafat insisted that threats from Israel could not frighten the Palestinian leadership and people out of their determination.

Israeli Infrastructure Minister Uzi Landau warned Wednesday that the UN bid would nullify Israel’s agreements with Palestinians and called for Israel to "impose our sovereignty on territories over which there is consensus — that is, in the Jordan Valley and the major settlement blocs, and even more."

Israel has already undermined the Oslo Accords which formed the basis of limited self-rule for the Palestinian Authority, Rafat said.

"We will continue our struggle against the occupation and our fight in all the international forums until the Israeli occupation ends and the establishment of an independent state," the PLO official vowed.

Rafat also called for a cross-factional meeting to encourage implementation of May’s reconciliation deal between former rivals Hamas and Fatah, which sought to end the four-year divide between their ruling governments in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Fatah and Hamas officials had announced in August that work towards implementing the deal would begin after the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which concludes Thursday.

(Ma’an News)