Can the UN help Abbas end Israeli occupation?

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to speak in front of world leaders at the UN’s General Assembly. He said he has a plan to present. In it he seeks an end to the Israeli occupation within three years. Abbas will also demand that the Security Council intervene to draw borders of the future Palestinian state.
 
This move comes after the failure of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations led by US Secretary of State John Kerry. The US maintains that only direct talks could lead to a peace deal between the two sides.
 
The Palestinian leadership knows well that Washington would veto any such move at the Security Council. Yet, it has in recent weeks stepped up the level and volume of its diplomatic and political movement to mobilise support for its plan.
 
But how serious is Abbas really about his plan? Or is he seeking political gains at home?
 
Presenter: Mike Hanna
 
Guests:
 
Richard Weitz, Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at Hudson Institute
 
Samer Badawi, Contributor for +972 Magazine
 
Khaled Elgindy, Fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution.