BEIJING: China announced on Tuesday that rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah engaged in “in-depth and candid talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation” during a recent meeting in Beijing.
Foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian confirmed the meeting, referring to the groups by their formal names, the Palestine National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas).
“The two sides fully expressed their political will to achieve reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, discussed many specific issues and made positive progress,” Lin Jian stated, without disclosing the exact timing of the meeting.
Hamas, an Islamist movement, took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 following intense conflict with Fatah, which retains partial administrative control in the Israeli-occupied West Bank through the Palestinian Authority.
China, historically supportive of the Palestinian cause and a proponent of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, facilitated the dialogue between Hamas and Fatah.
Amidst the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, China has been advocating for an immediate ceasefire. The conflict, which erupted in October last year, has led to significant casualties on both sides. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for an “international peace conference” to address the escalating violence and promote a resolution to the conflict.
