Palestinian UN membership bid: What you need to know

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has announced that on Friday he will ask for international recognition of a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as a capital.

In order to be admitted as a member state, they would need the approval of the 15-member UN Security Council.

But the idea is strongly opposed by Israel and the United States, one of the five permanent members of the Council.

BBC Arab Affairs Editor Sebastian Usher explains what is driving the move and how it is seen by key players in the region's politics.