China confirmed on Tuesday its readiness to facilitate “reconciliation between Palestinian factions” after reports emerged about an upcoming meeting in Beijing between Fatah and Hamas.
The Hamas delegation will be led by Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the political bureau, while the Fatah delegation will be headed by the deputy chairman of the movement, Mahmoud Al-Aloul.
Hamas announced in a statement that it would participate in a “broad factional meeting” to be held in the Chinese capital at the end of the week.
Hussam Badran, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said, “The movement is engaging positively and with national responsibility in this invitation to achieve national unity.”
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that China “supports all Palestinian factions in their goal of achieving reconciliation and unity through dialogue and negotiation,” adding that Beijing is “ready to provide opportunities” to achieve this goal.
The division within the Palestinian political landscape has persisted since Hamas forcibly took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007.
Numerous attempts have been made in various capitals to reconcile the two parties, but none have been successful.
However, the recent conflict in Gaza, which erupted on October 7 following an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel, has revived calls for dialogue.
Beijing hosted a meeting between Fatah and Hamas in April, during which an agreement was reached to hold another meeting in June, but it was later postponed. The Chinese Foreign Ministry at that time expressed its hope to “promote reconciliation among Palestinians.”
