Author: Makoto Ichikawa

United Nations, United States — The Security Council vote on the Palestinians’ bid to become a full member state of the United Nations is expected to occur Thursday or Friday, diplomats said, as discussions continued.

Several diplomatic sources had told AFP earlier that the vote would take place on Thursday, but the situation has since changed with some member states asking for a Friday vote.

No firm decision had been taken as of late Wednesday, according to several diplomatic sources.

“It’s still in the air,” Slovenian Ambassador to the UN Samuel Zbogar told journalists.

“The vote is tomorrow at 3:00 o’clock. I’m sure. If you don’t believe me, you will see it tomorrow,” said Palestinian envoy Riyad Mansour.

Malta’s diplomatic mission, which holds the presidency of the Security Council in April, has yet to confirm a schedule.

Whatever the date, the Palestinian initiative appears doomed to fail due to opposition from the United States.

The Palestinians, who have had observer status at the world body since 2012, have lobbied for years to gain full membership, which would amount to recognition of Palestinian statehood.

Any request to become a UN member state must first pass through the Security Council — where Israel’s ally the United States wields a veto — and then be endorsed by the General Assembly.

In light of Israel’s offensive in Gaza following Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack, Palestinians revived a 2011 UN membership application last week, prompting the Security Council to launch a formal review process.

© Agence France-Presse

Taipei, Taiwan — Taiwan’s incoming president Lai Ching-te has made Time Magazine’s list of the “100 Most Influential People of 2024”, which the island hailed Thursday as a recognition of its “democratic achievements”.

Vice President Lai, who won the January presidential election to succeed Tsai Ing-wen, will take office on May 20 at a time of growing tensions between Taiwan and China.

Beijing claims the self-ruled island as part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.

China has ramped up military and political pressure in recent years and has denounced Lai as a “dangerous separatist” because he — like Tsai — refuses to acknowledge Beijing’s claim.

“(T)he health of the island’s 23 million inhabitants is just one part of a much larger task he is inheriting: ensuring his government’s very survival, amid China’s amped-up campaign to reclaim the nascent democracy,” Jon Huntsman, a former governor of Utah and one-time US ambassador to China, wrote in Time.

He added Taiwan’s “risk profile couldn’t be higher”.

Taiwan’s Presidential Office praised Lai’s entry to the list, calling it an “important recognition from the international community to the democratic achievements” of the Taiwanese people.

It added Lai would “bear the crucial responsibility of safeguarding Taiwan’s democracy”.

Also making Time’s list of the influential was Chinese Premier Li Qiang, who ascended to the country’s number-two position last year.

Tsai made the list in 2020, with Republican senator Ted Cruz calling her a “signal light casting out China’s looming shadow, conveying to the world that Taiwan will not acquiesce to the Chinese Communist Party”.

The ruling People Power Party(PPP) has launched the process of merging with its satellite People’s Future Party, which was formed for last week’s general elections. 

Rep. Lee Hun-seung, the chief of the PPP’s national committee, announced on Wednesday that the party’s standing national committee will hold a session on Thursday to decide on whether to hold a national committee meeting. 

The virtual session will be held on Thursday morning, where the participants will vote on convening the national committee through the auto response system. 

The national committee will then convene on Monday to vote on the merger. 

The PPP and its sister party agreed on the merger on Tuesday in a meeting of the lawmakers-elect — 90 from the PPP and 18 from the satellite party.