China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has welcomed an agreement reached by 14 Palestinian factions to form an “interim national reconciliation government” to govern Gaza post-war. The agreement, signed in Beijing after a week of reconciliation talks, marks a significant step towards unity between rival groups Hamas and Fatah.
The talks, hosted by China, culminated in the signing of the “Beijing declaration,” which outlined the commitment of the factions to “reconciliation.” Wang highlighted the agreement to form a unified government as the most significant outcome of the discussions.
While acknowledging that reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinians, Wang stressed the importance of international community support in facilitating the process. China, he stated, aims to “play a constructive role in safeguarding peace and stability in the Middle East.”
Hamas and Fatah have been embroiled in a bitter rivalry since Hamas fighters ousted Fatah from Gaza following clashes after Hamas’s 2006 election victory. The Islamist Hamas movement has ruled Gaza since taking control in 2007, while the secularist Fatah movement controls the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
