By SUHASINI RAJ
The two main rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint statement in Beijing on Tuesday that endorsed, in concept, a temporary government for the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in a grand show of unity brokered by China’s foreign ministry.
The statement supports the formation of a unified government for the two territories that all parties can agree on — a high bar to clear for two factions that have long been vehemently, sometimes violently, opposed. But it offers little about how such a government would be formed, or when. Smaller Palestinian groups also signed the statement.
For China, the agreement represents an opportunity to promote an image of Beijing as a peace broker and an important player in the Middle East.
Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official, declared that “historic moments” were underway. Mahmoud al-Aloul, the deputy leader of Fatah, showered praise on China for standing beside the Palestinian people. Both men posed for photos with Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, in an ornate hall in Beijing.
Yet for many Palestinians, without concrete steps to make the unity plan a reality, the gathering in the Chinese capital was little more than a performance — and one they had seen before.
“What happened in China isn’t significant,” said Jehad Harb, an analyst of Palestinian affairs. “There aren’t any indications that Hamas and Fatah intend to end the split between them.”
Hamas and Fatah have been deeply divided for years, each trying to present itself as the legitimate leader of the Palestinian people and wary that the other will undermine its power. Multiple past attempts to broker unity between the rival parties have resulted in joint statements and agreements, but all those efforts have failed.
Fatah dominates the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited authority over parts of the West Bank. Hamas, after winning Palestinian legislative elections, seized control of Gaza from the Palestinian Authority in a brief civil war in 2007, and ruled there until the war with Israel began last autumn.
“These statements aren’t worth the ink needed to write them,” said Abd Al-Rahman Basem al-Masri, 25, a resident of Deir al Balah in central Gaza. “We’ve seen these things before, and we’ve lost hope in them.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has worked for years to deepen the division between Hamas and Fatah, seeing it as necessary to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state.
Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, denounced Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority, for agreeing to the accord, which he said would amount to nothing.
“Instead of rejecting terrorism, Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face,” Katz said in a statement. “In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas’ rule will be crushed and Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar. Israel’s security will remain solely in Israel’s hands.”
The meeting in Beijing came as Netanyahu said during a visit to Washington that conditions for a cease-fire deal with Hamas were “ripening.”
He told the families of hostages in a meeting Monday that Israel was “placing very, very heavy pressure on Hamas,” leading the armed group to compromise on its position, according to a statement from the prime minister’s office.
The families of the remaining 120 living and dead hostages in Gaza have increasingly criticized Netanyahu as not doing enough to bring home their loved ones.
Netanyahu’s visit, which comes at a time when Washington is intensely focused on developments in the presidential campaign, has been criticized by many Israelis, who say he is leaving the country as it battles foes on multiple fronts.
Vice President Kamala Harris, a candidate for president, will meet with Netanyahu this week, her staff said Monday, but she will miss the prime minister’s speech in Congress on Wednesday because of a previously planned event in Indianapolis.
Typically, the vice president, as the president of the Senate, sits on the House rostrum beside the House speaker during joint meetings to receive a foreign leader, appearing just behind the visiting dignitary in a tacit show of support and welcome. Harris declined to preside during Netanyahu’s speech, which an aide to the vice president said should not be construed as a change in her commitment to Israel’s security.
Her meeting with Netanyahu, which has not yet been scheduled, will be the vice president’s first foreign-policy moment since President Joe Biden stepped aside from the presidential election in November and Harris moved swiftly to secure her place at the top of the Democratic ticket.
White House national security officials have long stressed that Biden and Harris are in complete agreement about the situation in the Middle East and the fighting in Israel. But Harris has emerged as one of the leading voices for Palestinians in closed-door meetings at the White House.
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