RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a declaration in Beijing to end a years-long division, Chinese state media reported Tuesday, taking a step toward potentially resolving the deep rift between the two sides. the war in Gaza rages.
The declaration by the two Palestinian political heavyweights – and other smaller Palestinian groups – to form a unity government for the Palestinian territories is the latest in a series of talks aimed at uniting the parties.
But previous statements have failed, including a similar deal in 2011, casting doubt on whether the China-brokered talks will yield a resolution. It also comes as Israel and Hamas consider an internationally supported ceasefire proposal This would end the nine-month war and free dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The future of Gaza remains uncertain, with Israel fiercely opposed to any role for Hamas in governing the Strip. Israel has also rejected US calls for the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza after the war ends. The lack of a post-war vision for running the Gaza Strip has complicated negotiations on a ceasefire.
Since the current war broke out in Gaza nearly 10 months ago, Hamas officials have said the party does not want to return to power in Gaza as it did before the conflict, and the group has called for the formation of a technocratic government that the various Palestinian factions would agree on, paving the way for elections in both Gaza and the West Bank, with the aim of forming a unified government.
The two groups signed the Beijing Declaration on “Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian Unity,” according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz quickly rejected the deal on Tuesday, saying that no joint governance between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza would take place “because Hamas’ power would be crushed.”
The two rival Palestinian groups, along with 12 other political factions, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, concluding talks that began Sunday, according to a post on Chinese state broadcaster CGTN’s Weibo social media platform.
The agreement also highlights China’s Growing Role in Middle East Diplomacysuccessfully in the restoration of Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“But certainly China is still trying to gain credibility as a global mediator,” said James Char, a research fellow at the Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
A joint statement issued after the latest talks in Beijing gave no details on how the government would be formed or when, saying only that it would be done “by agreement between the factions.” The joint statement said the two groups were committed to creating a Palestinian state on land captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
The deal does not appear to bridge the two groups’ differences on Israel. Hamas had previously said it would accept a state based on the 1967 borders, while refusing to formally recognize Israel. Palestinian Authority dominated by Fatahfor its part, respects the interim peace agreements signed with Israel in the early 1990s.
The deal signed by Palestinian factions promised to follow up on previous reconciliation agreements signed in 2011 and 2022.
“The agreement in China is based on expanding the scope of membership in the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) to include other factions that have not joined it,” including Hamas, said Jamal Nazzal, a Fatah spokesman.
“It is a long road ahead, and most of the measures will be implemented after a possible ceasefire,” he added.
Fatah and Hamas have been rivals since Hamas defeated Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah-loyal forces in Gaza in 2007, taking control of the deprived coastal enclave. The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, administers part of the occupied West Bank. It is widely seen by the Palestinian public as corrupt, out of touch and a subcontractor to Israel because of their joint security coordination.
Hamas Hamas members have never been part of the PLO, the Palestinian government body responsible for international affairs. In a statement, Husam Badran, a Hamas political official based in Qatar, welcomed the agreement, describing it as a “new positive step towards achieving Palestinian national unity.”
But Tuesday’s agreement has no specific timetable.
“There is an opportunity… but it is not big, because there is a lack of a specific timetable for its implementation,” said Hani Al-Masry, an expert on Palestinian reconciliation issues.
Repeated attempts at reconciliation have failed, ruined by the factions’ bitter rivalry for power and the West’s refusal to accept a government that would include Hamas unless it expressly recognized Israel.
The administration of US President Joe Biden envisages a revamped Palestinian Authority Israel has offered to rule the post-war Gaza Strip and has sought to implement a series of reforms that could allow it to remain viable in the war-torn territory. Israel has rejected the idea, but has not offered a credible alternative to govern Gaza.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a small militant group allied with Hamas, issued a statement Tuesday after the talks saying it “still rejects any formula that includes recognition of Israel explicitly or implicitly” and that it had “demanded the withdrawal of recognition of Israel by the Palestine Liberation Organization.”
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Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel; Wu reported from Bangkok. Abby Sewell contributed from Beirut.
