Rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah sign ‘Beijing declaration’ of unity after China talks
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The two largest rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, have signed a declaration to end their longstanding rift and instead fight for “Palestinian unity” in a deal brokered by Beijing, Chinese state media said.
The deal came at the end of reconciliation talks in Beijing where a total of 14 Palestinian political factions met with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.
Hamas and Fatah signed the Beijing Declaration, said state broadcaster CCTV on Tuesday, which includes a commitment to work on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity”.
Mr Wang said the unity deal was “dedicated to the great reconciliation and unity of all 14 factions”.
“The core outcome is that the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) is the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people,” Mr Wang said.
He added that “an agreement has been reached on post Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government”.
The PLO is an internationally recognised coalition of parties that signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1993 and holds a permanent observer seat at the United Nations. Fatah dominates both the PLO and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which administers part of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, while Hamas administers the Gaza Strip.
Hamas is not currently a part of the PLO and it was unclear what role it would play under the new agreement.
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