Israel-Gaza war: China’s foreign ministry says Hamas and Fatah commit to dialogue after Beijing meeting

Rival Palestinian parties met in Beijing for an ‘in-depth and candid dialogue on promoting internal reconciliation’, according to ministry spokesman
Talks showcase China’s efforts to promote reconciliation for Palestine and accompany Beijing’s support for its full UN membership and call for ceasefire

China-Middle East relations

Kawala Xie

Published: 7:30pm, 30 Apr 2024

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Hamas and Fatah have agreed to continue dialogue in an effort to end their internal division after attending talks in Beijing, China’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

The ministry confirmed the two Palestinian parties held meetings in Beijing as China stepped up the push for reconciliation between the rival factions amid the escalating conflict in Gaza.

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

“They agreed to continue this dialogue process and strive for the early realisation of Palestinian unity and reunification.

“Both sides highly appreciated China’s firm support for the just cause of the Palestinian people to restore their legitimate national rights, thanked China for its efforts in promoting Palestine’s strengthening of internal unity, and reached agreement for ideas on future dialogues.”

Palestinian senior Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk was reportedly part of the talks. Photo: AP

The talks underscored China’s renewed efforts to promote reconciliation for Palestine, which has been divided since the Fatah-Hamas war in 2007. Fatah runs the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed government body that partially controls the Israel-occupied West Bank. Hamas – which has long had strained relations with Fatah – controls the Gaza Strip.

Reuters last week reported that Fatah’s senior official, Azzam Al-Ahmad, and Hamas’ senior official Moussa Abu Marzouk left for China on Friday for the talks. It is the first known visit to China by Hamas since the Gaza conflict broke out in October. Chinese envoy Wang Kejian met Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar last month.

A similar meeting was held in Russia in February in which the two parties were urged to unite before they could negotiate with Israel. That meeting came amid a major power reshuffle of the Palestinian Authority, which is under increasing pressure from the West to reform to take control of Gaza when the war ends.

China is believed to have good ties with both Hamas and Fatah and has long called for unity in Palestine, which it supports as an independent nation.

Since the Gaza conflict started, Beijing has been increasingly vocal about the legitimate rights of Palestinians and has urged an immediate ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, which has left more than 34,000 Palestinians dead.

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It also supports full United Nations membership for Palestine, a position that has resulted in repeated clashes with the US at the UN Security Council. Washington, a close ally of Israel, recently vetoed Palestine’s request to join the organisation, prompting harsh criticism from Beijing. Both the US and China are permanent members of the Security Council.

China is seen to have strengthened its foothold in the Middle East amid intensifying competition with the US. It has also stepped up its role as a global peacemaker after brokering a historic rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia last year.