RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have signed a declaration to end a years-long rift in Beijing, the groups said Tuesday, taking a step toward resolving a years-long deep rift.
The two major leaders of Palestinian politics signed the Beijing Declaration on “Ending Separatism and Strengthening Palestinian Unity,” pledging to form a unity government for the Palestinian territories, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. But previous such announcements have failed, including a similar deal in 2011, and there is doubt that China-backed talks will actually lead to a resolution.
The announcement comes at an important time War in Gaza In its 10th month of outrage and weighing in on Israel and Hamas Internationally Supported Ceasefire Project It would end the war and free dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
The question of Palestinian political unity will complicate planning for a post-war leadership structure for Gaza, one of the thorniest issues in ongoing peace talks. Hamas won parliamentary elections in Gaza in 2006 and violently took over the following year.
Gaza’s post-war future remains in question. Israel strongly opposes Hamas’ role in ruling Gaza after the war. It has also rejected US calls for the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority to run Gaza after the fighting ends.
Since the current war broke out in Gaza nearly 10 months ago, Hamas officials have said they do not want to return to ruling Gaza as it did before the conflict, and the group has called for the formation of a government of technocrats. It would pave the way for elections aimed at forming a unity government for both Gaza and the West Bank, by various Palestinian factions.
But both Israel and the PA remain deeply suspicious of Hamas’s intentions.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz immediately rejected the deal on Tuesday, saying there would be no joint administration between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza because Hamas’ rule would be crushed.
The two rival Palestinian groups and 12 other political factions met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the end of talks that began Sunday, according to a post on the social media site Weibo by Chinese television network CGTN.
The agreement also underlines that China’s role in Middle East diplomacy is increasingWith restoration success Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“But to be sure, China is still trying to gain credibility as a global mediator,” said James Char, a research fellow at the Institute of Security and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
A joint statement issued after the most recent talks in Beijing gave no details on how or when the government would be formed, saying it would be done only “by agreement between the factions”. According to the joint statement, the two groups are committed to creating a Palestinian state in lands captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War.
The agreement did not diminish the two groups’ divergent positions on Israel. Hamas has previously said it would accept a government Based on pre-1967 war boundaries, refuses to officially recognize Israel. The Fatah is the dominant Palestinian AuthorityMeanwhile, it adheres to interim peace accords with Israel signed in the early 1990s.
The agreement signed by the Palestinian factions pledged to follow previous reconciliation agreements signed in both 2011 and 2022.
The understanding with China is based on expanding the scope of PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) members to include Hamas and other non-affiliated factions, said Jamal Najal, a Fatah spokesman.
“It’s a long way ahead and most of it will be implemented after a possible ceasefire,” he added.
Fatah and Hamas have been rivals since Hamas violently overthrew forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah in Gaza in 2007 and captured the impoverished coastal enclave. The Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, governs parts of the occupied West Bank. It is widely viewed by the Palestinian public as corrupt, out of touch, and a subcontractor to Israel due to their collective security coordination.
Hamas Members of the PLO, the Palestinian governmental body responsible for international affairs, have never been members. In a statement, Qatar-based Hamas political official Hussam Badran hailed the deal, describing it as “another positive step toward achieving Palestinian national unity.”
But Tuesday’s deal didn’t have a hard deadline.
“There is a possibility … but it is not big because there is no specific timetable for implementation,” said Hani al-Masri, an expert on Palestinian reconciliation issues.
Repeated attempts to mend the rift have failed, marred by the factions’ own bitter competition for power and the West’s refusal to accept any government that includes Hamas unless it explicitly recognizes Israel.
Administration of US President Joe Biden envisions a renewed Palestinian Authority It governs post-war Gaza and has sought a series of reforms that could create a viable presence in the war-torn territory. Israel rejected the idea, but did not present a credible alternative to who would rule Gaza.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a small militant group affiliated with Hamas, released a statement after Tuesday’s talks saying it “rejects any formula that includes explicit or implicit recognition of Israel” and that it “demanded the withdrawal of the Palestine Liberation Organization.” Recognition of Israel.”
___
Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel; Wu reported from Bangkok. Abby Sewell contributed to this report from Beirut.
