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Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a joint government following talks in Beijing, it was announced on Tuesday – the latest attempt at resolving a longstanding rivalry and offering a potential scenario for the rule of Gaza after the war with Israel.
Previous similar declarations have failed, raising doubts about whether the China-sponsored deal might really lead to reconciliation between Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip for 17 years, and Fatah, the main force in the US-backed Palestinian Authority that administers parts of the occupied West Bank.
Both sides said the accord, which provided no guarantees, was only an initial step, and they promised to follow up on previous reconciliation agreements signed in 2011 and 2022.
Israel swiftly denounced the pact. The US and other Western countries have refused to accept any Palestinian government that includes Hamas unless it recognises Israel – a hurdle that has wrecked past efforts.
“There is an opportunity – but it is not big, because it lacks a specific timetable for implementation,” said Hani Al-Masri, an expert on Palestinian reconciliation affairs.
The declaration comes at a sensitive time, as the war in Gaza rages into its tenth month and as Israel and Hamas are weighing an internationally backed ceasefire proposal that would wind down the war and free dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
It follows talks led by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
“The core outcome is that the PLO [Palestine Liberation Organization] is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people,” Mr Wang said.
The PLO is an internationally recognised coalition of parties that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993 and holds a permanent observer seat at the United Nations. Fatah dominates both the PLO and the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas is not currently a part of the PLO and it was unclear what role it would play under the new agreement. Hamas and Fatah have a long history of animosity since Hamas fighters removed their Fatah counterparts from the Gaza Strip.
Hamas representative Mousa Abu Marzouk used the platform in Beijing to speak about the deadly 7 October terrorist attack on Israel and said their actions “changed a lot, both in international and regional landscape”.
“Our people are rising up in their efforts to struggle,” Mr Abu Marzouk said, according to a translated transcript by the Chinese foreign ministry.
Mr Wang added that the “most prominent highlight is the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government” for the governance of post-war Gaza.
He said China was keen to “play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East”.
China, which has denounced the Benjamin Netanyahu government for its attacks on the Gaza Strip, ostensibly aimed at eradicating Hamas, has sought to present itself as a peacemaker as it seeks to become the leading voice of countries in the global South.
China has called for Palestinian statehood and has refrained from explicitly condemning Hamas for the attack.
In May, president Xi Jinping lamented “tremendous sufferings” in Gaza and said Israel’s war in the region “should not continue indefinitely” and “justice should not be absent forever”. His remarks came during a gathering of Arab leaders at the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing.
The Chinese government has also backed the Palestinian cause by providing emergency humanitarian assistance during the crisis and for the post-war rebuilding in Gaza.
It comes as the Israeli prime minister told the families of hostages held in Gaza that a deal to secure their loved ones’ release could be nearing.
“The conditions are undoubtedly ripening. This is a good sign,” Mr Netanyahu told the families on Monday in Washington, where was expected to meet US president Joe Biden later this week after making an address to Congress.
US secretary of state Antony Blinken also assured that negotiators were “driving toward the goal line”.
