Fatah and Hamas Sign China-Brokered ‘Unity Deal’

The two largest rival Palestinian factions, Hamas and Fatah, agreed Thursday at Beijing to form a unity government together. Twelve smaller Palestinian factions also signed the deal.

The summit was hosted and brokered by China, with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi present for the talks. “An agreement has been reached on post-Gaza war governance and the establishment of a provisional national reconciliation government,” Wang stated.

Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s political leader, and Mahmoud al-Aloul, the deputy head of Fatah, both took part in the talks. Haniyeh’s presence is especially noteworthy as he was one of those issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in May along with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Beijing is not party to the ICC.

The unity deal contains four main parts: the creation of a provisional unity government, the establishment of a unified Palestinian leadership before the next legislative election, a free and fair legislative election, and a declaration of unity in the midst of the current conflict. 

The agreement is aimed at preserving Palestinian rule in Gaza following the current conflict, precluding any separate deal whereby a single faction would work with Israel. 

Hamas and Fatah, though historically rivals, have signed unity agreements in the past at Cairo in 2011 and at Algiers in 2022, though neither agreement was ever implemented.

It is unclear what immediate effect the scheme has, or whether it will be implemented. Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz released a statement following the deal saying that “in reality this [joint control of Gaza and the West Bank] won’t happen because Hamas’s rule will be crushed and Abbas will be watching Gaza from afar.”