Officials from Hamas and Fatah, the main Palestinian factions that have long competed for power in Gaza and the West Bank, recently met in Beijing for what Chinese officials on Tuesday described as “in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation.”
Discussions in Beijing are not expected to yield much. Israel’s bombing of Gaza has deepened support for Hamas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where the Fatah-controlled Palestinian Authority has governed towns in the area for decades.U.S. officials advise Palestinian Authority can help govern Post-war Gaza, although this will most likely require Hamas approval.
Such power-sharing would require more compromise than currently appears.Fatah meets Hamas In late February Russia has not made any significant progress towards forming a unity government. They remain divided on many issues, particularly Fatah’s demand that Hamas disband its armed wing – a move the militant group has repeatedly rejected in the past.
For Beijing, however, these meetings likely have a larger purpose: to present China as a great power and peacemaker opposed to the United States.
Beijing Help Iran and Saudi Arabia restore diplomatic relationsand also proposed a set of principles for ending the conflict in Ukraine, although Ukraine and its Western allies Indicates that these principles lack credibility. Analysts say China hopes to show its solidarity with the Palestinian cause to smaller countries around the world that feel alienated by the West.
Richard McGregor, senior fellow for East Asia at the Lowy Institute, said: “The thread that links these initiatives to Beijing’s broader foreign policy is its claim to represent developing countries, or their Like to call it the ‘Global South’ in Sydney.
“Such a posture, and to a large extent only a current posture,” he added, “is consistent with China’s current priorities, which are to learn from the habits of great powers and use strength and skill to bring warring parties to the negotiating table.”
Officials taking part in the rally in the Chinese capital included Moussa Abu Marzouk, a senior member of Hamas’s political wing, and Azzam Ahmed, a member of Fatah’s central committee, according to Palestinian officials.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian told a news conference on Tuesday that representatives of Hamas and Fatah held talks “recently” in Beijing and agreed to continue dialogue. He did not specify when the meeting would take place.
Fatah and Hamas A history full of troubles. In 2005, when Israel withdrew all its troops and citizens from Gaza, it handed power there to the Palestinian Authority. But Fatah lost to Hamas in legislative elections the following year. Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 in a brief but brutal civil war that divided Palestinians not only territorially but also politically.
Joey Dong Contributed research.
