Various Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, met in China to reconcile and agreed to form a national unity government, Chinese state media reported on 23 July.
Known as the Beijing Declaration, China hosted 14 Palestinian factions at their capital from 21 to 23 July.
“It is the first time that 14 Palestinian factions have gathered in Beijing for a reconciliation dialogue, bringing precious hope to the suffering Palestinian people,” Chinese state media Xinhua wrote.
Husam Badran, a senior official from Hamas, highlighted that the key outcome of the Beijing Declaration was the decision to establish a Palestinian national unity government to oversee Palestinian affairs.
“This declaration comes at a crucial time as our people face a genocidal war, particularly in the Gaza Strip,” Badran stated. “This creates a significant obstacle to regional and international interventions that aim to impose conditions against our people’s interests in managing Palestinian affairs post-war.”
The proposed national unity government will manage Palestinian affairs in Gaza and the West Bank, oversee reconstruction efforts, and prepare for elections.
Hamas and Fatah first met in Beijing in April to discuss reconciliation, marking the first known public visit of a Hamas delegation to China since the conflict in Gaza began. Previously, in 2007, Hamas expelled Fatah from the Gaza Strip during a brief civil war.
The agreement also signifies a diplomatic achievement for China’s diplomatic mission in the Middle East, which comes a year after facilitating a peace agreement between regional adversaries Saudi Arabia and Iran.
China had previously expressed its public support of Palestine, calling for the country to be inducted as a member of the United Nations. During a press conference in May, Chinese President Xi Jinping also called for an independent Palestinian state — further emphasizing China’s support for Palestine.
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