BEIJING: During talks in China that concluded on Tuesday, Palestinian factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, decided to put an end to their differences and establish an interim national unity government, according to China’s foreign ministry.
According to the summary, the Beijing Declaration was signed during the concluding ceremony of a reconciliation discussion between 14 Palestinian factions that took place in the capital of China from July 21–23.
It has not been possible to end the 17-year power-sharing dispute that has undermined Palestinian political ambitions through previous attempts by Egypt and other Arab nations to bring Hamas and Fatah together, and it is unclear if the current agreement will hold up in the face of local reality.
The “day-after” plan, which outlines how the Hamas-run enclave will be administered after the conflict, which started on October 7, ends, is one of the main grounds of contention in the negotiations for a ceasefire accord for Gaza, which were conducted amid efforts by international mediators.
According to senior Hamas leader Hussam Badran, the establishment of a Palestinian national unity government to oversee Palestinian affairs was the Beijing Declaration’s most crucial component.
In governing Palestinian affairs after the war, “this creates a formidable barrier against all regional and international interventions that seek to impose realities against our people’s interests,” Badran stated.
When Reuters called two Fatah officials, they declined to respond.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, immediately denounced the pact mediated by China, declaring that “Hamas rule will be crushed” and accusing Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah faction signed it, of endorsing the organization whose bombings on October 7 sparked the conflict.
Moreover, he dismissed the Palestinian Authority’s potential involvement in Gaza, declaring that “Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar.”
According to Hussam Badran, the national unity government would supervise rehabilitation, arrange for elections, and regulate Palestinian matters in Gaza and the West Bank.
At the moment, Fatah is the backbone of the Palestinian Authority, which has some degree of power over the Israeli-occupied West Bank but is now led by Hamas in Gaza.
A timeline for the formation of a new government was not specified in the agreement’s details.
Rival groups
Nevertheless, the accord highlights Beijing’s expanding sway in the Middle East, given that it mediated the historic peace pact between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year.
During the closing ceremony, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated, “The core achievement is to make it clear that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” as per the readout.
“China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant parties to jointly work to implement the Beijing Declaration reached today, and sincerely hopes that the Palestinian factions will achieve Palestinian independence at an early date on the basis of internal reconciliation.”
Wang stated that the international world should back attempts to build an interim Palestinian administration to rule Gaza and the West Bank, calling the agreement on forming an interim national reconciliation government around the post-war governance of Gaza the most “prominent highlight.”
Although Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not members of the PLO, which is the highest decision-making organization for Palestinians, they insist that any agreement pertaining to unity must include elections for the PLO parliament in order to ensure their inclusion. Regarding peace agreements with Israel, the factions disagree with the PLO as it exists now.
According to a release, Badran said, “This declaration comes at an important time as our people are facing a genocidal war, especially in the Gaza Strip.”
The rival groups Hamas and Fatah convened in Beijing in April to deliberate on efforts to reconcile and put an end to almost 17 years of disagreements. This was the first known visit by a Hamas delegation to China since the start of the Gaza War.
Originally scheduled for last month, the second round of negotiations was postponed while both sides exchanged accusations.
After Hamas troops drove Fatah from Gaza in a brief conflict in 2007, the long-running Palestinian groups have historically been unable to resolve their political differences.
In recent months, Chinese officials have become more vocal in their support of the Palestinians in international fora, demanding a more extensive Israeli-Palestinian peace conference and a set timeline for the implementation of a two-state solution.
