Israeli attacks on Gaza have prompted the rival Palestinian factions to discuss reconciliation in Beijing, China. Image source: N509FZ, via Wikimedia Commons.
Reconciliation talks between rival Palestinian political factions Fatah and Hamas recently took place in China.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed Beijing hosted the representatives’ discussions at a press conference on Tuesday 30 April.
“The two sides fully expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, discussed many specific issues, and made positive progress,” said Lin.
“They agreed to continue this dialogue and strive for the early realisation of Palestinian unity.”
The rival parties previously met this March with other political factions in Moscow to discuss potentially forming a unified Palestinian government.
Conflict between Fatah and Hamas has persisted for decades, but the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza has provoked discussions about Palestine’s political reunification.
Hamas has been the de facto leadership of Gaza since 2007 when they expelled Fatah from the enclave after the 2006 parliamentary election led to violent interparty clashes.
The Fatah-led Palestinian Authority (PA) has continued to administer parts of the occupied West Bank but with limited autonomy.
China has been calling for an immediate ceasefire since the Israel–Hamas war began last October.
“China and Palestine share a traditional friendship,” said Lin.
“We support Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation and increasing solidarity through dialogue and consultation.
“We will continue to work actively towards that end.”
China finds the stance taken by the United States and its allies, which brands Hamas as a terrorist group, to be “counterproductive”, according to Chatham House fellow associate Ahmed Aboudouh.
“There will never be a two-state solution without a united social and political fabric in Palestine, and this is what China is trying to establish,” said Aboudouh in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
Hamas issued a statement later on Tuesday in praise of China’s efforts at Palestinian reconciliation, its “supportive stance on the Palestinian cause, and its rejection of the genocide against our people”.
Fatah has not yet issued a comment on the developments.
Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed at least 34,535 Palestinian people and injured at least 77,704 more as of 30 April.
