IN a further sign of China’s growing influence in global relations, Palestinian factions have signed a “national unity” agreement, brokered by Beijing, aimed at maintaining Palestinian control over Gaza once Israel’s war on the enclave concludes. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the deal, finalized on Tuesday in China after three days of intensive talks, lays the groundwork for an “interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza. The agreement was signed by long-term rivals Hamas and Fatah, as well as 12 other Palestinian groups.
China has elevated its stature in the comity of nations for strongly establishing its credentials as a peace broker, a strategy, which is in sharp contrast to the policy of use of force against smaller nations, regime change and imposition of military and economic sanctions adopted by some world powers. Instead of fuelling conflicts to create markets for its arms industry, China has all along been striving to promote regional and global peace and is diplomatically active to promote reconciliation between rival parties. It received applauds from the peace-loving members of the world community by brokering a deal between long time rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran, presented a 12-point proposal to end the Russia-Ukraine war and now scored another diplomatic victory by bringing all Palestinian factions together. There can be no two opinions that internal feud was one of the major factors behind sufferings and troubles of the people of Palestine. It is understood that the prevailing pathetic situation forced them to come to the negotiating table and agree on a future roadmap in the face of existential threat at the hands of the Jewish state. After turning the entire Gaza territory into rubles, Israel is insisting on retaining control of the area, a situation that has sensitized Palestinian groups to forget their petty differences and forge unity to foil designs of their common enemy. No doubt, unity accords were also signed in the past but the latest one is more comprehensive as it seeks the establishment of an interim national unity government, the formation of unified Palestinian leadership ahead of future elections, the free election of a new Palestinian National Council, and a general declaration of unity in the face of ongoing Israeli attacks. Mustafa Barghouti, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative, one of the 14 factions to sign the accord, pointed out that the move towards a unity government is especially important because it “blocks Israeli efforts to create some sort of collaborative structure against Palestinian interests”. Following the signing of what has been referred to as the “Beijing Declaration”, China’s Wang said: “Reconciliation is an internal matter for the Palestinian factions, but at the same time, it cannot be achieved without the support of the international community.” China has historically been sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and supportive of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Wang restated China’s support for a “comprehensive, lasting and sustainable cease-fire” and for the convening of a large “international peace conference” to work toward a two-state solution. Israel has understandably opposed the deal as it could pose a serious challenge to its future plans and commentators in some Western countries have downplayed the peace-making efforts of China and its role in the Middle-East conflict. However, it is hoped that in view of attempts being made to physically decimate Palestinians, all factions would maintain unity in their ranks as this is the only viable option to foil Israeli designs. Those downplaying the latest peace accord also expressed pessimism about the success of the peace deal between KSA and Iran but the two sides are moving ahead to mend their differences and promote cordial relations. We hope China will continue to encourage Palestinian groups to build upon the accord for their own interest.
