Hamas and Fatah sign declaration on ending decadeslong rift after talks in China
Senior representatives from Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a joint declaration in China’s capital Beijing on Tuesday aimed at building unity.
BEIJING — Senior representatives from Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a joint declaration in China’s capital Beijing on Tuesday aimed at building unity and ending a decades-long rift as the fighting with Israel in Gaza rumbles on.
The agreement, called the “Beijing Declaration to End the Division and Strengthen Palestinian National Unity”, was announced at the end of three days of meetings here and was hailed today as a breakthrough by China’s Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, who called it “a historic moment for the cause of Palestine’s liberation.”
The deal also highlights China’s ambitions to be a more significant diplomatic player in the Middle East and a rival to the United States as a broker on the global stage. It comes just over a year after China helped broker an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia that saw them restore diplomatic relations after years of soaring tensions between the Middle Eastern powerhouses, unnerving many in Washington.
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with Mahmoud al-Aloul, left, vice chairman of Fatah, and Mussa Abu Marzuk, a senior member of Hamas in Beijing on Tuesday.Pedro Pardo / APThe eight-point declaration states that both sides will agree to the “formation of a temporary national unity government by agreement of the Palestinian factions,” according to a copy of the document seen by NBC News.
It adds that “the formed government shall exercise its powers and jurisdictions over all Palestinian territories, affirming the unity of the West Bank, Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, with the government starting the unification of all Palestinian institutions in the territories and the preparation for holding general elections.”
Rating: 5