Palestinian factions agree to ‘national unity’ govt following China talks

The agreement follows a Knesset decision totally rejecting Palestinian statehood, and comes as ceasefire efforts remain stalled due to Israel’s position on continuing the war     

News Desk - The Cradle

Hamas, the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Fatah party, and twelve other Palestinian factions have signed a Chinese-brokered reconciliation agreement during meetings in Beijing, which began on 21 July and ended on 23 July.

The 14 factions agreed on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity,” Chinese broadcaster CCTV reported on 23 July. 

The agreement was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday. 

“The core outcome is that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people. An agreement has been reached on post Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government,” he added. 

Hussam Badran, head of Hamas’ National Relations Office, said in a press statement that the agreement was a positive step on the right path and thanked China for its mediation efforts and support.

“The Beijing Declaration is an additional positive step on the path to achieving Palestinian national unity,” he said, expressing his “high appreciation for the great efforts made by China to reach this declaration.” 

“The official statement signed by the factions is clear in its contents, and is not what has been published and circulated since yesterday,” Badran added. “There was agreement on the Palestinian demands related to ending the war and barbaric aggression, which are: a ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, relief, and reconstruction.” 

He went on to say that the most important point of the agreement was the idea of establishing a national consensus government “that would manage the affairs of our people in Gaza and the West Bank, supervise reconstruction, and prepare the conditions for elections,” adding that this was Hamas’ position since the start of the war.

According to a copy of the declaration obtained by Al Mayadeen on Monday, the factions vowed to “end the Palestinian national division” and “unify national efforts to confront the [Israeli] aggression and stop the genocide.” 

According to the document, the Palestinian factions will implement the agreement with support from Egypt, Algeria, China, and Russia. 

It emphasizes the “commitment to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital,” to be implemented through UN Resolution 181 (1947 resolution on partition) and UN Resolution 2334 (which labels Israeli settlements illegal under international law). 

The declaration also highlighted the Palestinian people’s right to resistance, right to end the occupation, and right to self-determination, according to Al Mayadeen. 

A final and official statement on the Beijing meeting has yet to be released.

Last week, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement called in a statement for the PLO to drop its recognition of Israel, coming as a response to the recent Knesset vote completely rejecting the establishment of Palestinian statehood. 

The Beijing talks come as the US and Israel have been floating ideas on a post-war international mission involving Arab states that would administer Gaza once the fighting comes to an end. The initiatives exclude Hamas and involve a “reformation” of the PA. 

Several resistance factions, including Hamas and the PIJ, have rejected these initiatives and repeatedly stressed that the Palestinian people will be the ones to decide the future of the strip and its governance.