News Analysis: Declaration on uniting Palestinian factions promotes regional peace, experts say

RAMALLAH, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Declaration on ending the 17-year internal division between the two Palestinian rivals, Fatah and Hamas, would promote security and peace in the Middle East, Palestinian political experts have said.

At the invitation of the Chinese side, high-level representatives of 14 Palestinian factions held a reconciliation dialogue in Beijing from July 21 to 23 and inked the Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity, bringing precious hope to peace and stability in the Middle East.

The signing of the declaration comes amid a large-scale conflict in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians so far and caused great damage to residential buildings and infrastructure.

During recent interviews with Xinhua, Palestinian political observers considered the Beijing Declaration a key step toward ending the Palestinian internal division, highlighting China's role in promoting security and peace in the Middle East region.

"The declaration at this time is very important, especially after almost 10 months of comprehensive war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people and their cause, particularly by exploiting the factor of Palestinian division, which has helped it violate Palestinian rights not only in Gaza but also in the West Bank," Hussam al-Dajani, a Gaza-based political analyst, told Xinhua.

China, as a major world power, bases its diplomatic policy on the principles of equality and peace, he said.

China has succeeded in reconciliation efforts between Saudi Arabia and Iran after a long period of hostility between the two sides, and has played a prominent role in achieving economic stability in developing countries through the Belt and Road Initiative, al-Dajani added.

Al-Dajani stressed that China can play an effective role in monitoring and supporting the Hamas and Fatah movements for the benefit of the Palestinian people, as well as strengthening the Palestinian position at the United Nations.

Ayman Yousuf, a Ramallah-based Palestinian expert, said that China is helping the Palestinians selflessly, as it believes that peace and security are the only paths to achieving global prosperity.

Yousuf expressed the hope that the Beijing Declaration will turn into a clear mechanism on the ground, noting he is cautiously optimistic because there have been previous failures and internal obstacles from Fatah or Hamas, "but in my opinion, the project can succeed if China throws its weight behind it and follows it up with work."

He explained that China has become a peacemaking country in the Middle East, especially after it mediated between Saudi Arabia and Iran, and it is now seeking to bring Fatah and Hamas closer for the benefit of the Palestinian people, amid increasing talk about Gaza's future after the conflict.

In Beijing, Iran and Saudi Arabia declared the resumption of diplomatic relations in April 2023 after years of estrangement. China's success in facilitating reconciliation between the two sides has been an incentive for a new dawn of detente in relations between Middle Eastern countries, experts have said.

Speaking of the follow-up after the signing of the Beijing Declaration, Hani al-Masri, another Ramallah-based political expert, said that "changing the reality is difficult, but not impossible ... and the establishment of a Palestinian state as a solution has enjoyed growing international support."

He added that China is playing a big role in finding a real solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and promoting peace in the region, and China believes that Palestinians should join forces to gain their rights as soon as possible.