In a historic step towards achieving national unity, Palestinian factions announced at the conclusion of their meetings in China that they had reached a comprehensive agreement aimed at achieving “comprehensive national unity.” The meeting was attended by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine – General Command, the Palestinian Democratic Union (FIDA), the Palestinian Liberation Front, the Arab Liberation Front, the Arab Palestinian Front, and the Popular Liberation War Troops (Al-Sa’iqa Forces).
Historic Agreement in China: Palestinian Factions Unite Towards a Shared Future pic.twitter.com/3ztMoOYlmE
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The factions stated in their declaration: “The national factions agreed during their meetings in China to achieve comprehensive Palestinian national unity, including all Palestinian forces and factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and to commit to establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with United Nations resolutions, and ensuring the right of return in accordance with Resolution 194.”
The declaration added: “Based on the National Reconciliation Agreement signed in Cairo on May 4, 2011, and the Algiers Declaration signed on October 12, 2022, the factions decided to continue pursuing the implementation of agreements to end the division with the assistance of Egypt, Algeria, China, and Russia.”
The factions outlined four points in their declaration for following up on the implementation of the agreements to end the division:
- Commitment to establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions, particularly Resolutions 181, 2334, and ensuring the right of return in accordance with Resolution 194.
- The right of the Palestinian people to resist and end the occupation in accordance with international laws, the United Nations Charter, and the right of peoples to self-determination and struggle to achieve this by all available means.
- Forming a temporary national unity government with the agreement of the Palestinian factions and by a decision from the president, based on the applicable Palestinian Basic Law, for the government to exercise its powers and authorities over all Palestinian territories, affirming the unity of the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The government will start unifying all institutions in the territories of the Palestinian state, begin reconstructing the Gaza Strip, and prepare for general elections under the supervision of the Palestinian Central Elections Commission as soon as possible, according to the adopted election law.
- Activating and regularizing the unified temporary leadership framework for partnership in political decision-making, according to the National Reconciliation Document signed on May 4, 2011, until practical steps are taken to form the new National Council in accordance with the adopted election law.
Additionally, the factions in Beijing agreed to “resist and thwart attempts to displace Palestinians from their land, affirming the illegitimacy of settlements and settlement expansion according to United Nations Security Council and General Assembly resolutions and the opinion of the International Court of Justice.”
The factions also agreed to “work on lifting the barbaric siege on Gaza and the West Bank, ensuring the delivery of humanitarian and medical aid without restrictions or conditions,” as well as “supporting the families of martyrs, the wounded, and those who lost their homes and properties.”
The declaration indicated that the factions agreed on a “collective mechanism to implement the declaration’s provisions in all its aspects,” without announcing this mechanism. The factions considered the “meeting of the general secretaries as a starting point for the work of the joint national teams and decided to set a timeline to implement this declaration,” without mentioning it.
The general secretaries of the factions have held two meetings in recent years, the first in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 3, 2020, and the second in El Alamein, Egypt, on July 30, 2023. Many attempts in various capitals to achieve reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas had failed. However, the war in Gaza that broke out on October 7, 2023, revived calls for dialogue.
Beijing hosted a meeting between Fatah and Hamas last April, where an agreement was reached for another meeting in June, which was later postponed. The Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its hope to push for “reconciliation among Palestinians” at that time. In recent years, Beijing has strengthened its trade and diplomatic relations with Middle Eastern countries and facilitated a historic rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year.
