Beijing Holds Palestinian Reconciliation Meeting Next Month: Attended By Hamas And Fatah

Palestinian illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Joi Ito)

JAKARTA - If nothing changes, a Palestinian second reconciliation meeting will be held in Beijing, China next month, attended by Hamas, Fatah and other Palestinian factions.

Negotiations on reconciliation between Palestinian factions competing in Cairo, Egypt last year failed to progress, despite mounting pressure to form a unity front against Israel.

In late April, two delegates, led by members of the political bureau Hamas Musa Abu Marzouk and Fatah official Azzam Al Ahmad, met in the Chinese capital to discuss internal reconciliation.

The shocking meeting came as Palestinians discussed the future of the conflict with Israel, amid the Hamas-Israeli war that broke out on October 7, 2023.

Hamas representatives in Lebanon, Ahmed Abdel Hadi said the atmosphere of the meeting in Beijing was positive, "discussing the government, legislative elections, rebuilding and developing PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization) in preparation for the entry of Hamas and Islamic Jihad into it."

"We agreed to hold another meeting on June 14 under the name Interim Leadership Framework to discuss what we have achieved with Fatah and develop it," Abdel Hadi told The National News, as quoted on May 17.

Meanwhile, Palestinian sources close to Fatah told The National President Mahmoud Abbas gave the green light to meet Hamas representatives in China, given that it is a must given the war in Gaza.

Meanwhile, Palestinian legislator Dimitri Diliani, who is also a member of Fatah, stressed "the need for dialogue between everyone, solidarity, and the unification of all efforts to defend Gaza".

The spokesman for the Fatah National Reformist Movement called for the formation of a government that will have all executive powers in the West Bank and Gaza, while the presidential office will be ceremonial.

Some Palestinian factions estimate the Bamboo Curtain Country will not achieve much success in its mediation, given that regional countries such as Egypt and Qatar, despite its significant influence on Palestinian affairs, have not managed to resolve the competition between Fatah and Hamas.

However, diplomatic sources in Beirut said Beijing's success was "instead of impossible."

China is known not to consider Hamas a terrorist movement and has recognized the Palestinian State since 1988. Beijing's interest in the Palestinian struggle reflects Beijing's growing desire to address the most important issues in the region.

"Who would have thought China would suddenly break the cold war that broke between Tehran and Riyadh and managed to open a new chapter?" asked the diplomat's source.

Last month, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said after a meeting of Hamas and Fatah in Beijing, the two groups had the political will to carry out reconciliation through dialogue for Palestinian unity, thanking Beijing for its efforts to "promoting the internal unity of Palestine and reach an agreement for further dialogue."