The scene is heating up as the Palestinian Authority presses ahead in its bid for full UN membership for a Palestinian state, writes Ezzat Ibrahim from New York

Will the US abstain or veto? This is the key question, in the run up to Friday, writes Khaled Amayreh in Ramallah

Amira Howeidy examines why Mahmoud Abbas's bid for statehood is receiving ferocious criticism from Palestinians

How will Israel -- particularly Israeli settlers -- react if Abbas is successful at the UN and a Palestinian state is admitted on 1967 borders, asks Saleh Al-Naami

There have been rumours that the Palestinian factions intend to quit Syria even though the regime may have been trying to persuade them to stay, writes Bassel Oudat in Damascus

Palestine's move to become an independent state has benefited from the growing BDS movement, as the world wakes up to the enormous and unjust suffering of the Palestinian people, writes Eric Walberg

Two international envoys arrived in Yemen earlier this week after conflicting parties went to war, reports Nasser Arrabyee

Last week's slaughter of 22 Shias in Iraq is an example of the deep divisions that still exist in the country, writes Salah Nasrawi

Syrian opposition groups have held their first public meeting inside Syria, announcing a seven-point roadmap away from "catastrophic scenarios", reports Bassel Oudat from Damascus