Ramallah: 26 July 2024 (Xinhua News)

The signing of a declaration in Beijing by 14 Palestinian factions, aimed at ending division and strengthening unity, is widely seen as a positive step toward Palestinian national reconciliation, bringing fresh hope to the long-suffering Palestinian people.

Diplomatic envoys to China/representatives from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Türkiye as well as representatives from 14 main Palestinian factions attended the closing ceremony.

A Positive Step

The most important consensus reached at this dialogue is to achieve grand reconciliation and unity among the 14 factions, and the core outcome is to make clear that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people.

The dialogue also highlights the agreement to form an interim national reconciliation government focused on the post-war governance of Gaza. Meanwhile, it calls for the creation of a truly independent Palestinian state in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.

The signing of a declaration on ending division and strengthening unity by 14 Palestinian factions in Beijing is “an additional positive step” toward achieving Palestinian national unity, Hamas said on Tuesday.

This announcement came at an important time as Palestinians are facing an ongoing conflict, especially in the Gaza Strip, said Hossam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, adding that the solution represents “the ideal and most appropriate national solution” for the Palestinian situation after the conflict.

The Beijing Declaration represents an important step toward achieving Palestinian unity and ending internal divisions that have negatively affected the Palestinian cause for decades, Abdulaziz Alshaabani, a researcher at Al Riyadh Center for Political and Strategic Studies, told Xinhua.

China’s Efforts

In a statement on Tuesday, the Palestinian presidency said that it appreciated China’s support to help the State of Palestine obtain its full membership of the United Nations and to hold an international peace conference to implement the two-state solution.

It also expressed the gratitude of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian leadership for China’s extensive efforts to support the Palestinian people across all levels and in various international forums.

China has played a crucial role in facilitating this agreement through mediation and providing political and diplomatic support, Alshaabani said, underscoring China’s commitment to promoting stability in the Middle East and its active contribution to resolving international conflicts.

Ding Long, a professor at Shanghai International Studies University, told Xinhua that thanks to the continued efforts of the Chinese side, the Palestinian factions came to China to participate in the talks.

China has consistently supported the just cause of the Palestinian people and China, as a responsible country, has successfully brokered an Iran-Saudi deal and gained the trust of the Palestinian factions, Ding said.

The success of negotiations in Beijing demonstrates the growing maturity of China’s mediation diplomacy in the Middle East, Ding said.

Heading For Peace

The Beijing Declaration has addressed pressing issues such as the establishment of an interim national reconciliation government, carrying out reconstruction in Gaza. It has also outlined long-term objectives, including resolving the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution.

Musa Abu Marzouk, head of the Fatah delegation Mahmoud al-Aloul and head of the Hamas delegation, voiced their readiness to implement the consensus, strengthen unity among factions, advance the reconciliation process, and work for an early solution to the question of Palestine.

The talks in Beijing involved 14 Palestinian factions with all their positions balanced, thus constituting a basis for ending the division, said Abdel Mohdy Motawe, a Cairo-based researcher and executive director of the Middle East Forum for Strategic Studies and National Security.

The prospects of internal Palestinian reconciliation after the Beijing Declaration hinge on the earnest commitment of Palestinian factions, sustained international support, and tangible improvements in economic and security conditions, Alshaabani said

“If these factors are achieved, the reconciliation can lead to improved political, economic, and social conditions in the Palestinian territories, enhancing the chances of achieving sustainable peace in the region,” Alshaabani said