Israel-Gaza war: China’s foreign ministry says Hamas and Fatah commit to dialogue after Beijing meeting
“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,” Lin said.
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.
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.