In a May 16, 2011, op-ed published by the New York Times, de facto Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made the case for the "long overdue Palestinian state," explaining his intention to present a formal request for full UN membership for a state of Palestine based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On September 4, a blue chair, dubbed the flying chair, started touring UN Security Council member states, before landed at the UN headquarters in New York ahead of the opening of the UN’s 66th general assembly. Citing failed peace negotiations with Israel and a right to self-determination, the Palestinian delegation's diplomatic efforts to rally votes for statehood were launched and continued unabated despite the US' threat to veto the bid and Israel's warnings of "dire consequences."

The US and Israel maintain the Palestinian Authority's unilateral move undermines negotiations towards a two-state solution, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressing for the resumptions of talks with no preconditions. On September 16, the PM's office tweeted: "When the PA will abandon its futile steps, such as going to the UN, it will find Israel as a partner for direct negotiations for peace."

The Palestinian Authority managed to unify Arab governments in support of its initiative, gathered the conditional support of a divided European Union, and the endorsement of Russia and China, but the reality is that nothing will change on the ground for Palestinians who will remain under the occupation and control of Israel as the expansion of illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem continues.

Furthermore, Abbas admitted that even more "difficult times" await the Palestinians with possible financial retaliation and punitive action expected from both the US and Israel, with the latter threatening to annex parts of the West Bank.

However, state-run media across the Middle East has shied away from discussing opposition to the PA's gamble with the Palestinian people's rights but the online community has vehemently expressed its dismay at what it views as the irresponsible action of an illegitimate authority. 

The Palestinian Youth Movement issued a harsh statement against the proposal, accusing it to be "a mechanism for rescuing the faulty peace framework and depoliticizing the struggle for Palestine by removing the struggle from its historical colonial context."

On Facebook, a page titled "Palestinians against the so-called September Statehood" garnered almost 3,500 supporters while the "Palestine poster" page featured pleas to stop the "State of September," since Abbas was "going to the UN to demand [his] right and relinquish what remains of yours."

On Twitter, critics of the UN initiative lashed out using hashtag #fakestatehood. Palestinian-American journalist Ali Abunimah expressed pride for having "been one of the first to expose the Abbas PA #fakestatehood bid for the anti-Palestinian deception and fraud that it is." 

A Palestinian law student equated the occupation and its collaborators. She tweeted: "We will never end the Israeli occupation if we cannot revolt against the local authorities that enforce it. While the Alan Dershowitz parody account promised his "100,000th follower will get a relatively new blue swivel chair signifying nothing and representing no one."

Across different online platforms, the recurring theme was objection to an initiative whose content has not been disclosed to the people it impacts, likening it to the Oslo Accords that were reached without public knowledge of the agreement's terms. 

Another essential issue was raised by many, including a blogger in the UK, who used hashtag #IOpposeSeptemberBid to send the message that "Palestine is not just Gaza & the West Bank - but all those living in the 'Diaspora' & refugee camps."  This raises the question of who is entitled to represent the Palestinian people. 

A legal opinion by Oxford University professor, Guy Goodwin-Gill, challenged the legitimacy of the PA and warned that the interests of the Palestinian people are at "risk of prejudice and fragmentation."

A report from the International Crisis Group titled "Curb your enthusiam: Israel and Palestine after the UN", describes the path to the UN as "a tale of collective mismanagement," indicating that if the Palestinians "choose to rise up, it will be because of the entrenched and seemingly unmoveable realities of occupation, not because of what happens or not as a result of a UN vote," pointing to the irrelevant if not "counterproductive" bid. 

So without a unified national strategy and with pending questions about the future of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the refugees' right of return, will the PA's symbolic action jeopardize the Palestinian people's struggle and rights? And in the aftermath of the Palestine Papers that unveiled how quickly the PA is willing to simply give away its people's rights, are Abbas' political theatrics an attempt to hold on to his own chair in light of the popular intifada rocking the region?

Egypt: Eighteen Egyptian political blocs have joined forces under a unified coalition named the Democratic Alliance of Egypt. The new alliance has brought together liberal, national, and Islamic parties. The alliance announced its presence by introducing a draft bill to the People's Assembly calling for a wider representation of political parties and a ban on the use of money and favoritism in the electoral process. However, the blocs disagree over whether drafting a new constitution or elections should take place first. 

Syria: According to a UN report, nearly 11,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom are women and children, have crossed the Turkish border and are facing severe shortages of water and food. Villagers near the Turkish border continue to flee the ongoing violence. The Syrian opposition has called for a nationwide strike today and demonstrations tomorrow under the title “Friday of the Fall of Legitimacy.” 

Yemen: US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Jeffrey Feltman called on the government in Sanaa to immediately and peacefully transfer power in Yemen. President Ali Abdullah Saleh is being treated in Saudi Arabia for injuries sustained in an explosion on June 3. Saleh’s health condition is uncertain, as he has not made any appearances in three weeks. However, those close to the president say he is in good health and that the presidential plane has landed in Riyadh to take him back to Yemen. Demonstrators, who have been camped out in Sanaa for almost five months, insist that he can only return for his prosecution.

Libya: The United Arab Emirates hosted the third meeting of the Libya Contact Group today with delegations from 40 countries and representatives from international and regional organizations in attendance. The Contact Group met in an attempt to activate a financial mechanism, which will help fund humanitarian aid to Libya and support the opposition’s National Transitional Council. UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed called on Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi to resign and expressed support for NATO's military operations in Libya. 

Yemen: The opposition continues to celebrate President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s departure from Yemen, considering it a victory for their revolution. Meanwhile, Saleh’s supporters celebrated news that he was released from the intensive care unit of the Saudi Arabian hospital where he recently underwent surgery. The respective celebrations got carried away when clashes erupted and several people from both sides were killed and injured. 

Syria: The state news agency SANA reported that Damascus has strongly condemned foreign intervention in Syria. Meanwhile, residents of Jisr al-Shughour continue to flee the violence, heading across the border into Turkey. The Turkish Anatolia news agency said that nearly 1,500 people have crossed the border in the past 24 hours. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyib Erdogan said Turkey’s borders will remain open to Syrian refugees at this stage and also urged President Bashar al-Assad to implement real reforms as soon as possible.