In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict On July 23, in Beijing, Hamas, Fatah and 12 other Palestinian factions signed the reconciliation and unity agreement. The main objective is to maintain control of the Gaza Strip once the Israeli aggression ends.
The mediation action led by China is based on the awareness that Internal divisions among the various Palestinian political components contribute to hindering the implementation of the solution of the two states. Chinese leaders are seeking a ceasefire in Gaza and international recognition of the Palestinian state as a formal member of the United Nations.
You too can rediscover the pleasure of staying informed!
Your support helps protect our independence so we can continue to produce quality journalism that is open to all.
Support us
Palestinian Political Forces in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
Fatah is a secular organization founded in 1959. by Yasser Arafat, a Palestinian political leader who would become a leading figure on the world political scene. The aim is to support the armed conflict against Israel and the birth of an independent Palestinian state.
Fatah established the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) in 1964. thanks to the support of the Arab states. The latter want an internationally recognized organization that can represent the cause of the Palestinian people in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In 1967 defeat in war of the six days against Israel and the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, radicalizes the positions of both organizations against Israel. Attacks on civilians and soldiers begin on Israeli territory.
The Palestinian National Authority PA
The First Intifada began in 1988, that is, the rebellion of the population against the Israeli soldiers during the military occupation. After a difficult period, In 1993, Fatah and the PLO began the first negotiations with Israel which resulted in the Oslo Peace Agreement. Based on this agreement, the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) was established with the aim of controlling and administering the territories of the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.
How Hamas was born
In 1967, Hamas, an Islamic resistance movement, emerged as the operational arm of the Egyptian fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood movement in the Palestinian territories. One of the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, initially established Hamas as an Islamic center in Gaza. In its early years, the movement's mission was to: The objectives are the promotion of social and health insurance for the Palestinian population.
In the 1980s, with the First Intifada, Yassin decided to participate in the struggle by creating a military wing known as the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades. In 1989, Hamas began attacking some Israeli military targets. In 1994, the organization also targeted Israeli civilians, using suicide bombings and terrorist massacres.
Hamas becomes a protagonist in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
In the 2000s, after the failure of the Camp David peace negotiations and the start of the Second Intifada, Hamas strengthens its role in Palestinian political lifeMeanwhile, Israel and its army leave the Gaza Strip and control of the territory passes to the Palestinian Authority.
In 2006, new elections were called to elect the leadership of the ANP. Hamas clearly won but he failed to reach a government agreement with Fatah. Relations deteriorated and tensions with Fatah and the PLO led to an armed civil conflict. In 2007, Fatah left Gaza and Hamas took full control of the Strip.
The reconciliation agreement signed on July 23 in Beijing
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is the architect of the reconciliation agreement between the different Palestinian factions. The novelty of the agreement lies above all in Hamas' acceptance of the principles that it has always rejected until now. In particular, the establishment of an independent Palestine based on the United Nations General Assembly Resolution No. 181 of 1947, that is, the plan for the division of Palestine with the two-state solution. Hamas' adherence to these principles demonstrates its concrete change.
Operationally, The agreement provides for the establishment of a national unity government provisional, the formation of a united Palestinian leadership and the free election of a new Palestinian National Council. The Palestinian parties are satisfied, said Mousa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official: “Today we sign an agreement for national unity and affirm that the way forward to complete this journey is national unity.” Fatah representative Mahmoud al-Aloul thanked China for its support for the Palestinian cause.
China presents itself as guarantor of peace and stability
China is once again becoming a stabilizing force in the Middle East. The conflict between Hamas and Israel has resumed at a time when China was already playing a more active role in the region's international politics: last year Beijing brokers deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties interrupted since 2016.
With the July 23 agreement, China hopes to achieve a solution for the entire Middle East. Wang Yi said: “Only if you walk side by side can you succeed in the cause of national liberation.“The Chinese position is to support the various Palestinian forces in the process of national unity. Its diplomatic action in the Middle East would appear very different from American diplomacy in the region.
