Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists met with the relatively “moderate” Palestinian faction Fatah in Beijing on Tuesday and issued a statement pledging “national unity.” Hamas pledged “national unity” three times in one sentence.
“Today we sign the national unity agreement and say that the way to complete this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we seek it,” Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of Hamas’ politburo, said after concluding a meeting with leaders of other Palestinian factions chaired by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang said representatives of Hamas, Fatah, the Palestinian Islamic Party (PIJ) and 12 other Palestinian factions agreed at the conference to set up a “transitional national reconciliation government for the governance of post-war Gaza.”
“Reconciliation is an internal issue for each Palestinian faction, but at the same time it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community,” Wang stressed.
Reconciliation with those raped, murdered and kidnapped by Hamas and the PIJ on October 7 did not appear to be on the agenda at the Beijing conference. Hamas trumpeted the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling calling for an end to Israel’s military operations in Gaza “as soon as possible,” but seems completely uninterested in the ICJ holding Hamas leaders accountable for crimes against humanity.
The Chinese side, hosting Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic United Front, was hardly bothered by their guests’ shenanigans and instead won the coveted prize of the “Beijing Declaration,” expressing profuse gratitude to China for its “sincere efforts to support the rights of the Palestinian people, end division, and unify the Palestinian position.”
“The Beijing dialogue demonstrated a positive and constructive spirit, agreeing to achieve comprehensive national unity under the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people,” Chinese state media reported. Global Times Said on tuesday.
The Chinese foreign minister sought to phrase the same extreme demands that Palestinian terrorist groups have been making ever since Israel began responding to the October 7 attacks in a bland, bureaucratic “three-step” interpretation.
The first step is to achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable ceasefire in Gaza as soon as possible, while ensuring uninterrupted access for humanitarian assistance and relief.
The second step is to jointly advance post-war governance in Gaza, adhering to the principle of “Palestinians governing Palestinians.”
The third step is to work towards Palestine becoming a full member state of the United Nations and beginning to implement the two-state solution. These three steps are interrelated and essential.
The most important news from the Beijing talks appears to be the reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah, who have been on bad terms since Hamas attacked Fatah. was violently expelled Fatah in Gaza in 2007.
Fatah is Criticized Fatah has condemned Hamas’ actions during and after the October 7 attacks, but at the same time appears to accept that Hamas is gaining greater power and authority among Palestinians. Fatah appears willing to follow the unity government plan for the time being, but most observers doubt that it will last.
“Palestinian political experts generally dismissed the agreement as a rehash of several earlier reconciliation statements, including the 2022 agreement signed by 14 Palestinian factions in Algeria. So far, none of these efforts have brought about any lasting change in the rift between Hamas and Fatah,” the report said. The Washington Post I got it. on tuesday.
While China was congratulating itself for organizing a major unity conference, representatives of many Palestinian factions rushed to their nearest friendly Arabic-language media to spread rumors that nothing actual had been resolved by the heated discussions in Beijing, and that even their shared hatred of Israel would not unite Palestinians for long.
“Fundamental differences have emerged between the two movements regarding authority, laws, legal possession of weapons, methods of struggle, and ending the division,” one participant told Saudi media, referring to Hamas and Fatah.
“While it is unclear whether the agreement announced in Beijing on Tuesday will stand, it shows that China is the only world power capable of achieving reconciliation between the Palestinian rivals.” Said France24 delivers the only news that China really cares about.
As many outside observers have noted, Israel and the United States never accepted a post-war Gaza government that included Hamas, making almost all of the Beijing Declaration unrealizable.
Perhaps the most striking point to emerge from the talks is Hamas and PIJ’s steadfast refusal to give up power, even though doing so could help the Palestinians assume a leadership role in Gaza after the Israeli military operation ends.
In fact, a source “familiar with internal Hamas conversations” said: Said Reuters reports that the terror group is more ambitious than ever, wanting to sideline Fatah in a “partnership” that would give Hamas power not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank.
Reuters quoted Biden administration officials as doubting whether Israel could achieve a “total victory” that would destroy Hamas, making it unlikely that it would be able to keep it completely out of Gaza’s post-war government.
It is important for China to promote the PLO as the only legitimate representative of the Palestinian people because the PLO Recognized The 1993 Oslo Accords recognise Israel’s right to exist. Hamas remains constitutionally committed to the total destruction of Israel and sees Palestinian self-government as a means to that end.
The same goes for PIJ. issued The UN said in a statement on Tuesday it continued to “reject any formula for explicit or implicit recognition of Israel.” The statement called on the PLO to withdraw its recognition of Israel’s right to exist as granted by the Oslo Accords.
The Israeli government on Tuesday slammed Fatah and its leader Mahmoud Abbas for attending China-Hamas unification talks and signing the Beijing Declaration.
“Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement in China for joint governance of Gaza after the war. Instead of rejecting terrorism, Mahmoud Abbas has embraced Hamas’ murderers and rapists and exposed his true face. In reality, this will not happen, as Hamas’ rule will collapse and Abbas will be left watching Gaza from afar.” Said Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
“Israel’s security rests solely in Israeli hands,” Katz declared.
