Experts applaud China-brokered talks in Beijing that see Fatah and Hamas among the signatories

A Beijing Declaration, signed by representatives of 14 Palestinian factions, pledges to end their differences and strengthen unity, a milestone that officials and observers said marks a key step in promoting reconciliation within Palestine and creates conditions to end the Gaza conflict and achieve peace in the Middle East.

The Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity was signed on July 23 after three days of talks between the various Palestinian factions, including the two largest Palestinian groups — the Palestinian National Liberation Movement, Fatah, and the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.

The signing of the declaration is a culmination of a process that was set in motion, after a meeting in Beijing in April, for intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

Analysts said the talks, organized and coordinated by China, highlighted the country’s role as a trustworthy peace broker.

The Beijing Declaration proposes hosting an international conference with broad participation and full authority. It also calls for achieving comprehensive national unity, which would include all Palestinian factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and forming an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on July 23 at the meeting’s closing ceremony that the most important consensus reached in the talks was for the reconciliation and unity of the 14 factions, with the core outcome being that the PLO is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people.

Wang said that a highlight of the talks was an agreement on post-Gaza conflict governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government. He added that the talks voiced a strong call for the realization of the independent statehood of Palestine under relevant United Nations resolutions.

Calls for internal reconciliation have been growing since the outbreak of the latest Palestinian-Israeli conflict last October, a prolonged crisis that has brought chaos and disaster to the Middle East.

Calling the Palestinian issue the core issue of the Middle East, Wang said that China has no selfish interests in the issue and remains a staunch advocate of justice and fairness.

He called for a comprehensive, lasting, and sustainable cease-fire to ensure access to and implementation of humanitarian assistance, and emphasized the need to uphold the principle of “Palestinians governing Palestine” in Gaza’s postwar reconstruction.

Wang also stressed the importance of full membership for Palestine at the UN and the implementation of the two-state solution.

Mahmoud al-Aloul, deputy chief of Fatah, and Mousa Abu Marzouk, who represented the Hamas delegation, both expressed appreciation to China for supporting and helping Palestine, as well as for the country’s efforts to uphold justice for Palestine in the international community.

The Palestinian presidency said it appreciated China’s efforts to help the State of Palestine obtain its full membership in the United Nations and to hold an international peace conference to implement the two-state solution, “a step conducive to ending the occupation and realize the establishment of the Palestinian state”, according to the statement published by the Wafa News Agency.

Further, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas voiced a “profound appreciation of China’s historical positions in support of the rights of the Palestinian people”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the diplomatic breakthrough in Beijing.

Terming the deal as “an important step toward furthering Palestinian unity,” his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said the secretary-general “encourages all factions to overcome their differences through dialogue and urges them to follow up on the commitments that were made in Beijing and the declaration they signed on to”.

“We’ve seen this before, we’ve talked about it before, and I think all steps toward unity are to be welcomed and encouraged,” he said.

Guterres also expressed his appreciation for the diplomatic efforts being made by China as well as the efforts of other countries involved in facilitating the process, Dujarric said.

Welcoming the Beijing Declaration, Arab League Assistant Secretary-General for Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Affairs, Saeed Abu Ali, appreciated China’s historical position in support of the Palestinian cause, which embodies the depth and strength of relations between Arab countries and China.

The Arab League commended the efforts and initiatives of the Chinese leadership, and its continued keenness to support the rights of the Palestinian people, he said in a statement.

The Sultanate of Oman has welcomed the meeting of Palestinian factions in China and the ensuing signing of the “Beijing Declaration.”

A statement issued by Oman’s foreign ministry stressed the significance of Palestinians joining ranks. It called for empowering Palestinians “by all political and diplomatic means towards the prime goal of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories”, the Oman News Agency reported.

Oman emphasized that this “highly needed goal” should be achieved in a manner “consistent with the Palestinian people’s aspirations for freedom and peace, as well as the realization of relevant resolutions of international legitimacy”.

Turkiye’s foreign ministry hailed the Palestinian groups for their Beijing Declaration, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

“We welcome the gathering of Palestinian political factions in Beijing at the invitation of the Government of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and their acceptance of a declaration aimed at achieving national unity,” the foreign ministry said.

Turkiye expects the longstanding efforts toward achieving political unity in Palestine to yield positive results “as soon as possible”, it added.

The European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Sven Koopmans wrote on his X account that he had a “good call” with China’s envoy Zhai Jun, learning about his work on the Beijing Declaration of 14 Palestinian factions.

“China has an important role in reconciliation based on the two-state solution and a halt to violence. Glad to work jointly for ME (Middle East) peace,” Koopmans wrote.

On his X account, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he commended the Chinese government for facilitating talks between Fatah, Hamas, and 12 other Palestinian political factions.

“It is my sincere hope that this declaration of unity will translate into tangible results on the ground and withstand future challenges,” said Anwar, adding that all relevant parties “must work toward ending the barbaric attacks on the Palestinians by Israeli forces”.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said on his X account that he applauds China “for securing this diplomatic success”.

“The world must stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and urge Israel to end its brazen violence that has destroyed Gaza and killed around 40,000 innocent Palestinians during the last ten months,” said Sharif, as he affirmed Pakistan’s unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

Jasim Husain, a Gulf analyst and former member of Bahrain’s parliament, told China Daily that the latest development is an “exceptional success for Chinese diplomacy for facilitating an agreement between so many Palestinian factions”.

Ebrahim Hashem, an Asia Global fellow at the Asia Global Institute of the University of Hong Kong, hailed the news as “another major diplomatic breakthrough for China in the Middle East”, following Beijing’s mediation of the Saudi-Iran reconciliation in March last year.

Hussein Maklad, professor of international relations at Damascus University in Syria, told China Daily that the Beijing Declaration was “a very important achievement” for Palestinian people who “suffer from genocide committed by Israel with the full support of the United States and impunity”.

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, said the success of 14 Palestinian factions, especially Hamas and Fatah, in joining an agreement “is due to China’s impartial efforts”, which “provide space for the Palestinian people to formulate what is best for them”.

Many Gaza residents have expressed the hope that the declaration will end their years-long suffering. But Israeli minister of foreign affairs, Israel Katz, slammed the agreement in his X account post.

Liu Zhongmin, a professor of Middle East studies at Shanghai International Studies University, said that the talks and the ensuing declaration will play a crucial role in forming a unified voice and stance within Palestine, which is an essential step toward the settlement of the Palestinian issue and the realization of peace and stability in the Middle East.

The complexity of the Palestinian issue has long been reflected not only in the conflict with Israel but also in internal divisions, particularly the long-standing conflict between Hamas and Fatah, Liu said, adding the latest reconciliation is conducive to creating conditions for the resumption of Palestine-Israel negotiations.

The fair and just stance of China in its Middle East policy, along with its traditional friendships with various parties, enabled Beijing to act as a mediator, he added.

Yu Guoqing, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences’ Institute of West-Asian and African Studies, said promoting reconciliation among Palestinian factions is another significant endeavor by China to advance peace and stability in the Middle East, following Beijing’s successful diplomatic mediation for the reconciliation between Saudi Arabia and Iran last year.

He said that despite the ongoing conflict in Gaza, China managed to gather representatives from 14 Palestinian factions from different countries and regions to Beijing for talks, showing its responsibility as a major country.

Contact the writers at zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn