(CNN) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he will pursue a full United Nations membership bid during a speech Friday that was likely meant to both make the case for membership and manage domestic expectations. "We are going to the United Nations to attain full membership" from the U.N. Security Council, Abbas told an audience in Ramallah, tempering his rhetoric by adding that "we are not going to bring independence. Let's not exaggerate. "We will continue to negotiate," he said. Abbas says he wants the Palestinian territories "to be represented in its natural borders," calling disputed territories inhabited by Israeli settlers "illegal."
@highlight
NEW: Hamas warns Abbas not to go to the United Nations
@highlight
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to speak at the U.N. Security Council
@highlight
Israel is calling on Palestinian leaders to return to peace talks, a spokesman says
@highlight
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas presses for full U.N. membership
A successful vote in either body will not lead to an established "state" with defined borders, but would afford the Palestinian government an upgraded international status allowing them to pursue legal actions against @placeholder.