Hamas, Fatah agree to end divisions, form unity govt

• Beijing hopes factions will achieve Palestinian independence at an early date
• Israel slams deal to include Hamas in post-war Gaza government

BEIJING: Palestinian factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah, agreed to end their divisions and form an interim national unity government during negotiations in China that ended on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said.

The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among 14 Palestinian factions held in China’s capital from July 21-23, according to the readout.

Previous efforts by Egypt and other Arab countries to reconcile Hamas and Fatah have failed to end 17 years of power-sharing conflict that have weakened Palestinian political aspirations, and it remains to be seen whether this deal will survive the realities on the ground.

The meeting was held amid attempts by international mediators to reach a ceasefire deal for Gaza, with one of the sticking points being the “day-after” plan — how the Hamas-run enclave will be governed once the war, which began on Oct 7, ends.

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.

“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,” Badran said.

Two Fatah officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment.

Israel swiftly condemned the China-brokered agreement, with its Foreign Minister Israel Katz insisting that “Hamas rule will be crushed” and accused Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas, whose Fatah faction signed the deal, of embracing the group whose Oct 7 attacks triggered the war.

He also rejected any role for the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, saying “Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar”.

Hussam Badran said the national unity government would manage the affairs of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, oversee reconstruction, and prepare conditions for elections.

Currently Hamas runs Gaza and Fatah forms the backbone of the Palestinian Authority, which has limited control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Details of the agreement did not set out a timeframe for forming a new government.

Feuding factions

Nonetheless, the agreement further demonstrates Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East, after it brokered a breakthrough peace deal between longstanding regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran last year.

“The core achievement is to make it clear that the Palestine Liberation Organisation is the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi said during the closing ceremony, according to the readout.

“China sincerely hopes that the Palestinian factions will achieve Palestinian independence at an early date on the basis of internal reconciliation, and is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with relevant parties to jointly work to implement the Beijing Declaration reached today.”

The most “prominent highlight” was the agreement on forming an interim national reconciliation government around the post-war governance of Gaza, Wang said, adding that the international community should support efforts to form an interim Palestinian government to control Gaza and the West Bank.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad are not members of the PLO, the Palestinians’ highest decision-making body, but they demand that any unity deal includes holding an election for the PLO parliament to secure their inclusion. The groups are at odds with the current PLO over peace accords with Israel.

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

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 second round of talks, originally planned for last month, were delayed as both factions traded blame.

The long-feuding Palestinian factions have 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.

Published in Dawn, July 24th, 2024