Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah, have signed an agreement to “end division and strengthen Palestinian unity” in Beijing, according to an announcement by China on Tuesday.
According to CNN, the reconciliation talks, which began on Sunday and involved 14 Palestinian factions, were hosted by China amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
China has been positioning itself as a potential peace mediator in the conflict.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated that the agreement was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions” and affirmed that the Palestine Liberation Organization is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people.
Wang added that an agreement was reached on post-Gaza war governance and the formation of a provisional national reconciliation government.
However, Wang’s comments did not clarify the role of Hamas, which is not part of the PLO, or the immediate impact of the deal.
In the West Bank, the vision of an independent Palestine remains distant.
The PLO, a coalition of parties that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993, governs the Palestinian Authority, which administers parts of the West Bank. Fatah, which dominates both the PLO and PA, was not part of the Oslo Accords and does not recognize Israel.
President of the Palestinian National Initiative and a participant in the Beijing talks, Mustafa Barghouti, noted that all parties agreed to join the PLO, recognizing it as the only legitimate representative of Palestinians.
There is a history of animosity between Hamas and Fatah, with past reconciliation attempts, such as the 2017 Cairo agreement, failing to unify the Palestinian territories under one governance.
The PA lost administrative control of Gaza in 2007 after Hamas expelled it following their 2006 legislative victory.
Despite a 2017 reconciliation deal under Egyptian pressure, the aspirations collapsed when a bomb targeted the PA Prime Minister’s convoy in Gaza in 2018, with Fatah blaming Hamas for the attack.
Barghouti emphasized that the recent talks made more progress than previous efforts, including specific steps towards forming a consensus government.
He asserted that the war in Gaza had prompted the factions to unite against Israel’s occupation, expressing a clear sense of unity in confronting Israel.
Tahani Mustafa of the International Crisis Group suggested that Palestinians are likely to approach the news of reconciliation with caution and pessimism, citing unresolved major issues and skepticism about Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas’s willingness to share power.
Hamas officials have expressed willingness to disarm if a Palestinian state is established but demand fair representation within the PLO.
Hamas representative Mousa Abu Marzook at the Beijing talks stated that an agreement was reached to complete a “course of reconciliation,” using the platform to justify Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.
This reconciliation agreement follows an earlier round of talks between Hamas and Fatah in Beijing in April.
Since the onset of the Gaza war, China has sought to bolster its influence in the Middle East, calling for Palestinian statehood and facilitating discussions between Arab nations and Israel. Observers have noted China’s growing geopolitical influence, particularly after brokering a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran in March.
The agreement coincides with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US, where he is meeting with top officials and addressing Congress.
The conflict, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack, has resulted in significant casualties and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
