14 Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, have agreed in the Chinese capital of Beijing to achieve "a comprehensive national unity" under the umbrella of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).
The announcement was made in a joint statement at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Beijing following China’s invitation to intra-Palestinian talks.
The statement said the Palestinian groups “agreed on achieving a comprehensive national unity that includes all Palestinian factions within the frame of PLO, and on the commitment to the establishment of the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with the UN resolutions and ensuring the right of return as based in resolution 194.”
The Palestinian groups also agreed on “uniting national efforts” to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza and to resist attempts to expel Palestinians from their lands.
The Fatah Movement, Hamas Movement, Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), and other Palestinian groups took part in the talks.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi described the deal as an agreement to rule the Gaza Strip together once the ongoing war ends.
“The most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government around the governance of post-war Gaza,” he stated.
“Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community.”
Earlier in April, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said Fatah and Hamas representatives held “consultations on advancing intra-Palestinian reconciliation and for in-depth and candid dialogue” in Beijing.
Before the April talks, the groups also met in Moscow in February.
Similar rounds of talks were held in the past years in Turkey, Algeria, and Egypt, but none resulted in a breakthrough in the Palestinian reconciliation process.
The Palestinian Territories of the West Bank and Gaza Strip have been politically divided since June 2007 due to sharp disagreements between the Fatah and Hamas movements.
Hamas won the majority of seats in the 2006 legislative elections. It has since taken control of the Gaza Strip, while Fatah has ruled over the West Bank.
Tel Aviv on Tuesday slammed the agreement between Palestinian factions aimed at maintaining control over the Gaza Strip following Israel’s ongoing war.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Tel Aviv will not allow a joint control of Gaza by Hamas and Fatah.
“In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas’s rule will be crushed,” Katz wrote on X.
“(Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar. Israel’s security will remain solely in Israel’s hands,” he added.
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