RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah have signed a declaration in Beijing pledging to form a joint government, the groups said Tuesday, in the latest attempt to resolve their long-running rivalry.
Both sides said the deal, which offered no guarantees or deadlines, was only an initial step. Such earlier announcements have cast doubt on whether China-backed talks between Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for the past 17 years, and Fatah, the main force of the US-backed Palestinian Authority, could lead to a settlement. Parts of the occupied West Bank.
Israel immediately denounced the deal. The United States and other Western countries have refused to accept any Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless it explicitly recognizes Israel — a move that has helped undermine past unity efforts and the factions’ own rivalries for power.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV announced that both sides and other smaller Palestinian factions had signed the Beijing Declaration on “Ending Separatism and Strengthening Palestinian Unity”, pledging to form a unity government for the Palestinian territories. The agreement only provided detailed definitions of how they would work together.
“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.
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 who will run Gaza after the war is one of the most difficult issues – and the unity efforts are driven in part by the Palestinians’ desire to provide the conditions for a post-war regime.
But Israel strongly opposes any role for Hamas, which it has vowed to destroy after its October 7 attack on southern Israel. While not presenting a unified post-war vision of its own, it has also rejected US calls for a Palestinian Authority to rule Gaza after the fighting ends.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah is deeply reluctant to share power with his longtime rival. Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian parliamentary elections. The following year, amid heightened tensions, Hamas overthrew forces loyal to Abbas in Gaza. It has ruled the impoverished coastal region ever since.
During the current war, a group of Hamas officials have said they do not want to return to ruling Gaza, and supporters have said they want to form a government of technicians agreed by various Palestinian factions. That government will prepare for elections with the aim of forming a unity government in Gaza and the West Bank.
Responding to China’s announcement, Israel’s foreign minister said there would be no joint administration between Hamas and Fatah in Gaza because Hamas’ rule would be crushed.
The agreement also stressed China’s Efforts to Play a Growing Role in Middle East DiplomacyAfter its success in mediating restructuring Relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.
“China is still trying to gain credibility as a mediator globally,” said James Char, a research fellow at the Institute of Security and Strategic Studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Officials from Fatah, Hamas and 12 other factions met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the end of talks that began on Sunday, according to a post on Chinese television network CGTN’s social media site Weibo.
The Palestinian Authority issued a joint statement announcing the deal, but gave no details on how or when the government would be formed, saying only that it would be done “by mutual agreement”. It said they pledged to follow previous reconciliation agreements signed in 2011 and 2022.
In the statement, all factions, including Hamas, are committed to creating a Palestinian state on lands captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.
Hamas, which has directly called for the destruction of Israel, has said it will accept a Palestinian state. Based on pre-1967 war boundaries But it refuses to officially recognize Israel.
The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, recognizes Israel and operates within the framework of the peace accords signed in the early 1990s. Those agreements were supposed to lead to an end-state in the West Bank and Gaza, but talks have stalled for years, leaving only isolated West Bank areas in charge. Many Palestinians view the Authority as corrupt, out of touch and a subcontractor to Israel because of their collective security coordination.
Fatah spokesman Jamal Najal said the declaration of unity was based on expanding the membership of the Fatah-led Palestine Liberation Organization, including Hamas.
“It’s a long way ahead and most of it will be implemented after a possible ceasefire,” he added.
Hamas Members have never been part of the PLO, the umbrella group of Palestinian factions under the Palestinian Authority. Hussam Badran, a Qatar-based Hamas political official, called the deal a “positive step toward achieving Palestinian national unity.”
Administration of US President Joe Biden envisions a renewed Palestinian Authority Governing post-war Gaza and seeking reforms, it creates a viable presence in the war-torn territory. Israel rejected the idea.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a small militant group affiliated with Hamas, released a statement after the talks that still “rejects any formulation that includes explicit or implicit recognition of Israel” and that it “demanded the withdrawal of recognition of the Palestine Liberation Organization from Israel.”
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Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel; Wu reported from Bangkok. Abby Sewell contributed to this report from Beirut.
