The two main rival Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, signed a joint statement in Beijing on Tuesday that endorsed, in concept, a temporary government for the Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, in a grand show of unity brokered by China’s Foreign Ministry.
The statement supports the formation of a unified government for the two territories that all parties can agree on — a high bar to clear for two factions that have long been vehemently, sometimes violently, opposed. But it offers little about how such a government would be formed, or when. Smaller Palestinian groups also signed the statement.
For China, the agreement represents an opportunity to promote an image of Beijing as a peace broker and an important player in the Middle East.