BEIJING (AP) — Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah signed a declaration in Beijing on ending yearslong rift, Chinese state media said Tuesday, without providing further details.
The two groups signed the Beijing Declaration on “ending division and strengthening Palestinian unity,” according to state broadcaster CCTV. While Hamas and Fatah have said they would work together many times before and failed, the signing of the declaration coincides with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying that a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas appears within sight.
The two rival Palestinian groups, along with 12 other political factions, met with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, concluding talks that started Sunday, according to a post on Weibo from Chinese TV network CGTN.
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have had multiple rounds of unity talks since Hamas routed Fatah forces from Gaza in a violent takeover of the territory in 2007. But each time, unity efforts have been wrecked by the factions’ own bitter rivalry over power and the West’s refusal to accept any government that includes Hamas unless it expressly recognizes Israel.