Guarded optimism on Palestinian reconciliation ahead of Fatah-Hamas meeting in China
Officials in Ramallah say that Hamas accepting the creation of a Palestinian state within the framework of the two-state solution is crucial to progressing Palestinian reconciliation efforts.
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RAMALLAH — Palestinian’s main factions — the PLO’s dominant secular Fatah movement and the Islamist Hamas movement — have not been able to find common ground since Hamas' violent takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007. Even the indiscriminate Israeli war in Gaza has failed to produce reconciliation. After former Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned in March of this year, citing the need for change amid the ongoing war, President Mahmoud Abbas did not consult with Hamas or other factions when choosing a consensus prime minister, instead choosing a former World Bank official and Abbas’ personal confidante, Mohammad Mustafa.
But the latest effort by Beijing to bring the two together appears to have all the right features: timing, level of representation and the backing of the Chinese government. Talks will be held in Beijing, July 21–23, and both Hamas and Fatah are sending their top teams, including deputy head of Fatah Mahmoud Alloul and head of the Hamas politburo Ismael Haniyeh.
The upcoming meeting was originally scheduled for this past April, but the Fatah team had to postpone it for unknown reasons. (A meeting of lower-level officials took place in April and May, but high-ranking Fatah and Hamas representatives did not attend.) Some argued at the time that Fatah was stalling in order to avoid giving Hamas legitimacy, but the fact that Fatah is sending its top leader, Alloul, to Beijing negates that claim. Chinese officials in Ramallah have also been meeting behind the scenes with all parties to try to bridge gaps.
The US-led cease-fire discussions on the Gaza war hosted by Qatar and Egypt also add to the urgency of an agreement. It is unlikely that Hamas, which attacked Israel on Oct. 7, will be allowed to lead any postwar governing and rebuilding effort. But without the group's total demise or surrender, which the United States says is unlikely, the group could continue to pose a threat to new administrators coming in to run the Strip.
