Islam Times - What’s the Significance of Beijing Declaration for Post-war Gaza?

Islam Times - Chinese foreign minister and media confirmed that 14 Palestinian fractions after two-day talks in Beijing on Tuesday inked an agreement aiming to end the divisions and form a "Temporary National Reconciliation Government" (TNRG) for administration of Gaza post-war.

The agreement, dubbed Beijing Declaration, says that the TNRG will be formed within the frameworks of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) followed by general elections across Palestine.

Moussa Abu Marzouq, the leader of the negotiating team of Hamas, announced at a meeting in China that this movement has signed a "national unity" agreement with Fatah and other Palestinian factions.

"Today we are signing the national unity agreement. We say that the way to complete this journey is national unity. We commit to national unity and we want it, he said.

The text of the statement states that the government in question "as soon as it unites all the institutions in the Palestinian territories and starts the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip prepares the ground for holding general elections under the supervision of the Palestinian Central Election Commission.

In this declaration, all the parties emphasized on strengthening the unity of Palestine and declared their renewed commitment to the goal of forming an independent Palestinian state with Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital in accordance with United Nations resolutions 181 and 2334 and guaranteeing the right of return of refugees based on Resolution 194.

According to the statement, the Palestinian groups also "considered the meeting of the general secretaries as the starting point for the work of forming the National Council and also decided to set a timetable for the implementation of this statement. The factions have stated in their statements that the national agreement of Palestine on May 4, 2011 is the basis for the actions of the national unity government.

It is noteworthy that the general secretaries of the Palestinian factions have held two meetings over the past few years, the first meeting in Beirut on September 3, 2020, and the second in Al-Alamin, Egypt, on July 30, 2023. These meetings were generally held to follow up the agreements signed in past years, including the agreement Cairo (May 4, 2011) and Algeria Declaration (October 12, 2022), which pursued the end of political division between Gaza and the West Bank. However, on the ground the have not taken effect.

Gaza war and the barbarous massacre of the Palestinians with an obvious Western support since October 7 have revived calls for inter-Palestinisn dialogue.

Last April, Hamas and Fatah movements met for the first time in Beijing to discuss reconciliation efforts to end the 17-year disunity and form a national unity government.

These negotiations finally led to the issuance of a joint statement in the second round of the Beijing meeting that was held on Monday and Tuesday, the result of which was the agreement of all Palestinian groups to accept the PLO as the sole representative of the Palestinian people in the international arena and to form a temporary government of national reconciliation to pave the way for general elections.

In these two meetings, in addition to the three prominent groups of Fatah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, others were present, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Palestinian People's Party, the Palestinian People's Struggle Front, the National Initiative Movement, the General Command of the Popular Front, the Democratic Alliance of Palestine, the Palestine Liberation Front, the Arab Liberation Front, and the Palestinian Arab Front and the Vanguards for the Popular Liberation War (Thunderbolt).

Neutralizing American-Israeli plot

Undoubtedly, Beijing Declaration is a turning point in the highs and lows of process to end the Palestinians political disunity that erupted in 2007,the year Palestine held its last general elections. This work toward unity is mainly driven by the various Palestinian groups' awareness of the Israeli plots with support from the West and some Arab states for administration of post-war Gaza and then West Bank. These Israeli plots are announced under various names including civil administration, special investment and tourism zone, Island administration, and others, all aiming to end Hamas's political control over the coastal enclave, disarm Gaza, gradually occupy the Strip like West Bank, an displace the Palestinians.

The great defeat of October 7 and its irreparable consequences for the occupied territories has created a dangerous situation for the Israelis, and if they cannot achieve success in the war (which they have not achieved so far due to the fierce resistance of the people of Gaza), the defeat will haunt them for long years. The American and Israeli strategists are aware of the reality that with the change in the balance of power in Palestine and the region, the political and security and military and economic foundations supporting the regime will not be able to withstand the weight of these problems and serious damages for a long time.

The Operation Al-Aqsa Storm crushed the dangerous Israeli plot to destroy and bury the Palestinian cause through embarking on the normalization with some Arab monarchies, but the Israelis are still hopeful to sow division firstly to prevent the Palestinian unity aimed at ending the occupation of Gaza and secondly foil return of the Palestinian sovereignty over Gaza after the war.

The accurate translation of remarks of Netanyahu who says he wants to destroy Hamas and is opposed to any role for the movement in the administration of post-war Gaza is not that he is ready to handover the Strip to the Palestinian Authority, rather, he means that the Israelis have planned for prevention of return of any Palestinian political sovereignty over Gaza.

Therefore, the adoption of proposal to form a national reconciliation government to run Gaza after war indicates the Palestinian awareness of the complications of the political and field developments beside their approval of the legitimacy of struggle and resistance and united condemnation of any Israeli or Western efforts to displace the Palestinian people from their lands.

Hessam Badran, a member of Hamas's Political Bureau, in a statement thanked China for its "big efforts" for hosting the dialogue and its conclusion, adding that "this declaration comes at an important time, because our people are exposed to war and destruction, especially in the Gaza Strip." He further said: "Beijing Declaration is an additional positive step in the path of achieving Palestinian national unity."

He further held that the most important duties of the national reconciliation government formation is to handle the affairs of people in Gaza and the West Bank, supervise reconstruction, and pave the way for elections. He noted that this is an impenetrable barrier ahead of regional and international interference that seeks to foist anti-Palestinian conditions on the people after the war.