After several days of discussion in Beijing, 14 Palestinian organizations, including Fatah and Hamas, signed a “national unity” agreement on Tuesday, July 23, with the stated aim of “ending the division” between the two main rival factions, as reported by the Palestinian daily Al-Quds.
This agreement, which is structured around eight points, notably provides for the formation of a “national reconciliation interim government” that “will exercise its power over all unified Palestinian territories, namely the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip,” can be read in the Palestinian newspaper Al-Ayyam. This comes as the question of governance in the Palestinian enclave following the war that began on October 7 is raised.
This “Beijing declaration,” summarizes The Washington Post, “reinforces China’s claim to be a global mediator,” but it is “unlikely to bridge the deep divide between Palestinian political groups.”
Beijing, “important player” in the Middle East
For China, which maintains good relations with Israel while supporting the Palestinian cause, this is a “diplomatic coup,” estimates the British daily The Guardian.
This rapprochement between Fatah, q
