Hamas and Fatah unite in ‘Beijing declaration’ after China talks

The two largest rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, have signed a declaration to end their longstanding rift and instead fight for “Palestinian unity” in a deal brokered by Beijing, Chinese state media said. The deal came at the end of reconciliation talks in Beijing where a total of 14 Palestinian political factions met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi. Hamas and Fatah signed the Beijing Declaration, which includes a commitment to work on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity”. Mr Wang said the unity deal was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions”. “The core outcome is that the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people,” Mr Wang said. He added that “an agreement has been reached on post Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government”.

The PLO is an internationally recognised coalition of parties that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993 and holds a permanent observer seat at the United Nations. Fatah dominates both the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while Hamas administers the Gaza Strip. Hamas is not currently a part of the PLO and it was unclear what role it would play under the new agreement. While the Islamist Hamas have ruled Gaza since seizing control of it in 2007, the secularist Fatah control the Palestinian Authority.

Hamas representative Mousa Abu Marzook used the platform in Beijing to speak about the deadly 7 October terrorist attack on Israel and said their actions “changed a lot, both in international and regional landscape”. “We’re at a historic junction. Our people are rising up in their efforts to struggle,” Mr Abu Marzook said, according to a translated transcript by the Chinese foreign ministry. He said the agreement was to complete a “course of reconciliation”. Mr Wang added that the “most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government” for the governance of post-war Gaza. He said China was keen to “play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East”. China, which has denounced the Benjamin Netanyahu government for its attack in the Gaza Strip, has sought to present itself as a peacemaker as it seeks to become the leading voice of countries in the Global South.

China has called for Palestinian statehood and has refrained from explicitly condemning Hamas for the attack. In May, president Xi Jinping lamented “tremendous sufferings” in Gaza and said Israel’s war in the region “should not continue indefinitely” and “justice should not be absent forever”. His remarks came during a gathering of Arab leaders at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing. The Chinese government has also backed the Palestinian cause by providing emergency humanitarian assistance during the crisis and for the post-war rebuilding in Gaza.

It comes as the Israeli prime minister told the families of hostages held in Gaza that a deal to secure their loved ones’ release could be nearing. “The conditions are undoubtedly ripening. This is a good sign,” Mr Netanyahu told the families on Monday in Washington, where was expected to meet US president Joe Biden later this week after making an address to Congress. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also assured that negotiators were “driving toward the goal line”.