Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas and Fatah agreed to end their divisions and form an interim national unity government during negotiations in China that ended on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry said.
The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among 14 Palestinian factions held in China’s capital from July 21-23, according to the readout.
Previous efforts by Egypt and other Arab countries to reconcile Hamas and Fatah have failed to end 17 years of power-sharing conflict that have weakened Palestinian political aspirations, and it remains to be seen whether this deal will survive the realities on the ground.
The meeting was held amid attempts by international mediators to reach a ceasefire deal for Gaza, with one of the sticking points being the “day-after” plan – how the Hamas-run enclave will be governed once the war that began on Oct. 7 ends.
Senior Hamas official Hussam Badran said the most important point of the Beijing Declaration was to form a Palestinian national unity government to manage the affairs of Palestinians.
“This creates a formidable barrier against all regional and international interventions that seek to impose realities against our people’s interests in managing Palestinian affairs post-war,” Badran said.
Two Fatah officials contacted by Reuters declined to comment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his goal is to destroy Hamas group and opposes it having any role in a post war Gaza administration.
