Hamas, Fatah, Palestinian factions agree to end divisions, form unity gov't after China talks

Various Palestinian factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, agreed to end their divisions and form a national unity government during negotiations in China that ended Tuesday, according to Chinese state media.

The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among the factions held in China’s capital from July 21-23, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Senior Hamas official Hussam Badran said the most important point of the Beijing Declaration was to form a Palestinian national unity government to manage the affairs of Palestinians.

In a statement to their Telegram channel, Hamas claimed that the Beijing Declaration was a positive step towards achieving Palestinian national unity, thanking the host country China “with its international weight and its firm position in support of the Palestinian cause.”

The statement criticized the US, saying, “The American administration stands against any internal Palestinian national consensus and is completely biased and even partners with the occupation in its crimes against our people.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his goal is to destroy Hamas, an Iranian-backed terror group, and opposes it having any role in a post-war Gaza administration.

Foreign Affairs Minister Israel Katz responded to the deal between the factions in a post to X, formerly Twitter, stating, “Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement in China for joint control of Gaza after the war.

Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement in China for joint control of Gaza after the war. Instead of rejecting terrorism, Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face. In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas's rule will be crushed, and Abbas… pic.twitter.com/JZMqeMqH5J

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) July 23, 2024

“Instead of rejecting terrorism, [PA President] Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face,” he said. “In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas’s rule will be crushed, and Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar. Israel’s security will remain solely in Israel’s hands.”

A total of 14 Palestinian factions, including the leaders of Fatah and Hamas, also met with the media, with China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi present, CGTN said in a social media post.

The agreement marks a diplomatic coup for China and its growing influence in the Middle East. Last year, Beijing brokered a breakthrough peace deal between longstanding regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Badran praised China in a statement for its significant effort to host the talks and reach such a declaration.

'Declaration comes at an important time'

“This declaration comes at an important time as our people are facing a genocidal war, especially in the Gaza Strip,” the statement quoted Badran as saying.

He said the agreement was an “additional positive step towards achieving Palestinian national unity.”

He said a national unity government would manage the affairs of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, oversee reconstruction, and prepare conditions for elections. This was the position of Hamas, which it called for and proposed since the first weeks of the battle.

“This creates a formidable barrier against all regional and international interventions that seek to impose realities against our people’s interests in managing Palestinian affairs post-war,” said Badran.

Rival factions Hamas and Fatah first met in Beijing in April to discuss reconciliation efforts to end around 17 years of disputes, the first time a Hamas delegation was publicly known to have visited China since the war in Gaza began.

The long-feuding Palestinian factions previously failed to heal their political disputes after Hamas fighters expelled Fatah from Gaza in a short war in 2007.

Chinese officials have ramped up advocacy for the Palestinians in international forums in recent months, calling for a larger-scale Israeli-Palestinian peace conference and a specific timetable to implement a two-state solution.