The Palestinians are pushing for a U.N. Security Council resolution threatening "consequences" if Israel continues building Jewish settlements in lands the Palestinians want for a future state.
Palestinan Ambassador Riyad Mansour on Wednesday accused Israel of continuing to break international law.
"The global calls for cessation of Israeli settlement activity and crimes against the Palestinian people must be backed with serious practical measures to compel Israeli compliance with the law," he told the council.
Mansour said an end to Israeli settlement activity and a withdrawal from Palestinian territories were "imperative for realizing a just, lasting, comprehensive Palestinian-Israeli peace."
Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon did not talk about settlements in his remarks to the council, but denounced what he said would be a one-sided resolution against Israel.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed all of Jerusalem, contending it had the right to build in those areas to help ensure its security.
