The factions agreed on a “provisional government of national reconciliation”, says Beijing.
Palestinian factions have signed a “national unity” agreement that aims to maintain Palestinian control over Gaza once Israel’s war in the enclave ends.
The agreement, signed on Tuesday in China after three days of intense negotiations, lays the foundation for an “interim government of national reconciliation” to govern post-war Gaza, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said. The agreement was signed by longtime rivals Hamas and Fatah, as well as 12 other Palestinian groups.
“Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the way to complete this journey is national unity,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, said at a press conference in Beijing.
Mustapha Barghouti, secretary-general of the Palestinian National Initiative, one of the 14 factions that signed the agreement, told Al Jazeera that the agreement goes “much further” than any reached in recent years.
He said its four main elements are the establishment of an interim government of national unity, the formation of a unified Palestinian leadership ahead of future elections, the free election of a new Palestinian National Council and a general declaration of unity in the face of continued attacks. Israelites. ,
The move toward a unity government is especially important, he said, because it “blocks Israeli efforts to create some kind of collaborative structure against Palestinian interests.”
Reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah would be a fundamental turning point in internal Palestinian relations. The two main Palestinian political parties in the Palestinian territories have been rivals since the start of the conflict in 2006, after which Hamas took control of Gaza.
“We are at a historic crossroads,” Abu Marzouk said, according to CNN. “Our people are rising up in their fighting efforts.”
Hamas, which governs Gaza and led the October 7 attack on Israel, advocates armed resistance against the Israeli occupation.
Fatah controls the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control of the occupied West Bank. It favors peaceful negotiations in search of a Palestinian state.
‘There is no other way than unity’
Several previous attempts at reconciliation between the two factions have failed. However, calls for them to unite grew as the war dragged on and Israel and its allies, including the United States, argued over who could govern the enclave after the fighting ended.
Barghouti said the war in Gaza was the “main factor” that motivated the Palestinian sides to put aside their differences.
“There is no other way now than for Palestinians to unite and fight together against this terrible injustice,” he said.
“The most important thing now is not just to sign the agreement, but to implement it.”
China, which has sought to play a mediating role in the conflict, already welcomed Fatah and Hamas in April.
During these talks, the pair “expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation” and made progress on “many specific issues”, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at the time.
The latest round of negotiations was attended by Hamas political leader Ismael Haniyeh and Fatah deputy head Mahmoud al-Aloul.
Following the signing of what was referred to as the “Beijing Declaration,” China’s Wang said: “Reconciliation is an internal matter of the Palestinian factions, but at the same time it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community.”
China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supports a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “international peace conference” to end the war.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
