Palestinian groups have agreed to achieve national unity

Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, have agreed to “achieve national unity and establish a temporary national consensus government after the war in Gaza” following discussions held in Beijing.

In the Chinese capital Beijing, 14 Palestinian groups, including Hamas and Fatah, signed the Beijing Declaration, which includes “ending the division and strengthening Palestinian unity,” after negotiations that have been ongoing since Sunday to end the division. Accordingly, the Palestinian groups agreed to work toward establishing “a temporary national unity government” under the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO).

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi stated, “The fundamental outcome is that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people. An agreement has been reached on the establishment of a temporary national consensus government after the war in Gaza. The consensus is an internal matter for Palestinian groups, but it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community.”

Musa Abu Marzuk, a representative of the Hamas delegation, noted that an agreement has been reached to complete the reconciliation process. Marzuk expressed, “Today we are signing an agreement for national unity and we state that the way to complete this journey lies in national unity.”

High-ranking Hamas official Husam Badran stated that the national consensus government will govern Gaza and the West Bank, will deal with the reconstruction process in Gaza after the war, and will prepare the ground for elections.

Situation in Palestinian territories:
Hamas has been governing the Gaza Strip for 17 years since 2007. The Palestinian Authority, led by President Mahmoud Abbas and governing the West Bank and East Jerusalem, is in the hands of Fatah.