A state-run Chinese newspaper has warned of rising Mid-East conflicts if the U.S. vetoes Palestine's bid for UN membership next week.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas is expected to request UN induction next Friday, while Washington warns the move will be "counter-productive".

The China Daily says, "If the US chooses to fly in the face of world opinion and block the Palestine UN bid next week, not only will Israel become more isolated but tensions in the region will be heightened even more. "The majority of the international community deems an independent state as the inalienable right of the Palestinians" (via AFP).

The expected request comes almost a year after peace talks with Israel crumbled over its settlement construction on Palestine land.

The U.S. has said it will veto the request because it will harm negotiations, and that a Palestinian state will only come from negotiations directly with Israel.

