Hamas claims to have signed a political agreement on national unity between rival Palestinian factions (including Fatah), under the auspices of China.
As the war in the Gaza Strip drags on for nine months and negotiations for a ceasefire stall, Hamas announced on Tuesday that it had signed a ceasefire agreement. a deal of “national unity” with other Palestinian organizations, including its biggest rival, Fatah.
This agreement was sealed under the auspices of Beijing. The final text, according to Chinese authorities, provides joint governance after the war in Gaza.
Representatives of 14 factions traveled to China as part of a new attempt, sponsored by Beijing, to find compromises between the different components of the Palestinian political scene.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi notably welcomed a senior Hamas official, Moussa Abou Marzouk, as well as an envoy from the rival Palestinian movement Fatah, Mahmoud Aloul.
According to the head of Chinese diplomacy, The agreement provides in particular for the creation of a “interim government of national reconciliation”.
And to specify that the “Palestinians themselves” were to “administer Palestine”.
While Beijing maintains good diplomatic relations with Israel, China has supported the Palestinian cause for decades and is part of the chorus of nations advocating a two-state solution.
As peace negotiations, under the aegis of the United States, are stalling, the head of Chinese diplomacy reiterated his call for a “general, lasting and viable ceasefire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, in order to ensure unhindered access for humanitarian aid and relief supplies.”
By allowing the signing of this agreement between Palestinians, Chinese diplomacy confirms its growing interest in the Middle East a large part of which is traditionally under American influence.
It was notably under his supervision that a diplomatic rapprochement was observed last year between the two major regional powers, Iran and Saudi Arabia.