The government's refusal to back down over a diplomatic standoff with Israel continues.

Israel's been blocking the appointment of a new New Zealand ambassador since September - because he's also charged with representing us to the Palestinian Authority.

Israeli media reports that our appointment to the UN Security Council has Israel "striving" to resolve the issue - although there's no new proposal on the table.

Israel's apparently concerned New Zealand might support Palestine's bid for statehood, when the Security Council next votes on the issue.