Hamas, Palestinian rival Fatah meet in Beijing

Senior officials from rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah have agreed to meet in Beijing this month in a fresh attempt at reconciliation, officials said Monday.

The Hamas delegation will be headed by its Qatar-based political chief Ismail Haniyeh, while the Fatah representation will be led by deputy leader Mahmud Alul, Fatah sources said.

Hamas had no immediate comment.

The two groups have been bitter rivals since Hamas fighters drove Fatah out of the Gaza Strip after deadly clashes that followed Hamas’ resounding victory in 2006 elections.

After taking control of Gaza in 2007, the Hamas movement has ruled the territory ever since.

The secular Fatah movement controls the Palestinian Authority, which exercises partial administrative control over the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Efforts since 2007 by Arab countries, led by Egypt, have so far failed to end the power-sharing conflicts between Hamas and Abbas’ Fatah movement, which forms the backbone of the Palestinian Authority.

However, calls for reconciliation have grown since Hamas’ attacks on Israel on October 7 and the war in Gaza, with violence also increasing in the West Bank, where Fatah is based.

New Arab Staff and Agencies

China hosted Fatah and Hamas in April, but a meeting planned for June was postponed.

The representatives are scheduled to meet with Chinese officials in Beijing on July 20-21, according to Fatah Central Committee Deputy Secretary-General Sabri Saidam.

Before that, a meeting of the two groups could take place, he added.

The goal, Saidam said, “is to end the state of division by committing to past agreements and agreeing on a relationship between Palestinian groups in the next stage.”

Another Fatah executive member also said that a joint Fatah-Hamas meeting could be held in Beijing before the start of the official agenda.

China has positioned itself as a more neutral player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict than its rival the United States, advocating a two-state solution while maintaining good relations with Israel.