Salam said the decision was made to take the matter to the committee as required by Article 59 of the United Nations' rules of procedure. "So, we have to wait until Wednesday morning," he said outside the Security Council.

Though the debate is expected to be largely symbolic in the face of a promised American veto, the permanent observer of the Palestinian Authority to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, held out hope prior to Monday's Security Council meeting that the bid would be accepted.

"We hope that the Security Council will shoulder its responsibility and address this application with a positive attitude, especially since we have 139 countries that have recognized the state of Palestine so far, meaning more than two-thirds majority," he said. "We are ready to govern ourselves."

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas made the bid for the United Nations to recognize an independent state of Palestine on Friday, a move Israel says is premature without direct talks that address its longstanding security concerns.