Hamas and Fatah meet in China, pledge to continue dialogue for unity

Hamas and Fatah have agreed to resume dialogue aimed at ending their split following talks in Beijing, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry confirmed that the two Palestinian sides held talks in Beijing at a time when China is stepping up efforts to broker reconciliation between the rival factions amid escalating fighting in Gaza.

“[Fatah and Hamas] held an in-depth and sincere dialogue on promoting internal reconciliation in Palestine,” ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, adding that the two sides fully expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, discussed many specific issues and made positive progress.

“The two sides agreed to continue this dialogue process and strive for the unity and reunification of Palestine as soon as possible,” Lin said: “Both sides appreciated China’s strong support for the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, thanked China for its efforts to strengthen Palestinian internal unity, and agreed on ideas for future dialogues.”

China’s stance and mediation efforts on the Palestinian issue

The talks underlined China’s renewed efforts to promote reconciliation in Palestine, which has been divided since the Fatah-Hamas conflict in 2007. Fatah heads the Palestinian Authority, which controls parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas, which has long had strained relations with Fatah, controls the Gaza Strip.

Reuters reported last week that senior Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmad and senior Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk travelled to China on Friday for talks. This is the first known Hamas visit to China since the Gaza conflict began in October. Chinese envoy Wang Kejian met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar last month.

A similar meeting was held in Russia in February, during which the two sides were urged to unite before negotiating with Israel. The meeting came amid a major power shift in the Palestinian Authority, which is under increasing pressure from the West to reform in order to take control of Gaza after the war ends.

China is believed to have good relations with both Hamas and Fatah. Beijing has long called for unity in Palestine, whose independence it supports.

Since the start of the Gaza conflict, Beijing has become increasingly vocal about the legitimate rights of the Palestinians and has called for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Gaza.

Beijing also supports Palestine’s full membership of the United Nations. This position has repeatedly brought it into conflict with the United States in the UN Security Council. Washington, a close ally of Israel, recently vetoed a Palestinian bid to join the organisation, drawing sharp criticism from Beijing.

China appears to be strengthening its position in the Middle East amid growing rivalry with the United States. China has also stepped up its role as a mediator in global conflicts, having brokered a historic rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year.