China Brokers New Pact Uniting 14 of the Largest Palestinian Leadership Factions

It is a step those close to the negotiations which led to this point believe will provide a better chance of securing a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, along with a lasting peace as part of an ultimate two-state solution.

Israel will of course never agree to what those groups want to have happen. But unification of the various Palestinian perspectives into one voice could change what happens next in Gaza and the West Bank, in many ways.

The agreement the Palestinian groups signed came after it became clear to the Palestinian leadership factions that, even if by some miracle the war in Gaza were to end soon, they can no longer afford to hold radically different policies as to how to govern a post-war Palestinian state and must find a better way to work together. The same unification of leadership and the ability to reach a broad agreement among all bodies is also considered critical to negotiating that end to the war. Having a unified front on the Palestinian side can also put pressure on western powers to force Israel to accept a very different future for the occupied territories the International Court of Justice just declared – once again – that Israel must pull out from as an unlawful invading force.

The belief in this unification of methodology and purpose among the groups is what caused the People’s Republic of China to bring together these 14 Palestinian factions in a series of sessions which began remotely, then came together in person for the first time beginning on July 21 in Beijing.

The new accord between the Palestinian groups is the "Beijing Declaration on Ending Division and Strengthening Palestinian National Unity", or just “The Beijing Declaration” for short. Signatories to the agreement include:

Hamas, the governing entity which currently holds principal responsibility for governance in Gaza and the military operations there and has done so since voted into that role by the Palestinians twenty years ago. Representing Hamas at the summit in China was Mousa Abo Marzouk.

Fatah, also known as the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (PNLM). Founded by Yasser Arafat in the 1950s, has since the 1970s and beyond taken a more moderating stand against conflicts with Israel to secure territory. Representing Fatah for these discussions was envoy Mahmoud Al-aloul.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). This organization was founded in 1967 at the time of the Six-Day War, the conflict Israel started in which it seized the Old City of Jerusalem, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as its own. PFLP is the second largest group which falls under the umbrella of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, an entity which focuses more on coordination of efforts rather than management of any organization within that group. The largest entity in the PLO is Fatah.

The PFLP takes a more militaristic stance in defense of the Palestinian people than Fatah. It refuses to recognize Israel as a government, and instead focuses on actions which it hopes leads to a one-state where Arabs and Jews can live together without discrimination.  

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. It was formed in 1968 by splitting from the PFLP. It describes its purpose as to “create a people’s democratic Palestine, where [like the PFLP] Arabs and Jews would live without discrimination, a state without classes and national oppression, and a state which allows Arabs and Jews to develop their national culture.” It maintains a paramilitary wing which kicks into operation occasionally in defense of the Palestinians in the West Bank and beyond.

The Palestinian Popular Struggle Front. This is yet another organization founded after the Six-Day War in 1967. It also split from the PFLP because of differences over policy and the means of implementing those policies. It lost supporters during the time of the Camp David and Egypt-Israel agreements in the 1970s and early 1980s which struck a peace between those two countries at the perceived cost of the Palestinian people. Syria and Libya reached out to the remaining members and bolstered its position as an alternative to the other factions present to represent the Palestinian people, including Fatah founder Yasser Arafat.

The Palestinian National Initiative. Founded in 2002, this group stands for the creation of an independent, democratically elected Palestinian state.

Besides these six more sizeable Palestinian rights’ organizations, there were also eight others present at the discussions in Beijing starting Sunday.

The nations of Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Turkey were also part of the two days of negotiations which concluded formally on July 22.

Representing China as the presiding power was Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

During the signing ceremony for the Beijing Declaration, Foreign Minister Wang congratulated the group over setting an agreement that the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) shall going forward be considered “the sole legitimate representative of all Palestinian people.”

He also said that, by signing the Declaration, the group had achieved their mutual goal “to achieve the reconciliation of the and unity among the 14 factions.”

“The biggest highlight is the agreement on establishing an interim government of national reconciliation focusing on the post-conflict reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, and the strongest call is for truly establishing an independent State of Palestine in accordance with relevant UN resolutions,” Wang said.

“Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it,” said Hams’ Abo Marzouk as the agreement was inked by all.

The secretary-general of the Palestinian Initiative, Mustafa Barghouti, commended the agreement for going “much further” than any previous attempt at uniting the disparate Palestinian organizations. He also said the nature of the statements all have approved should serve to “[block] Israeli efforts to create some sort of collaborative structure against Palestinian interests.”

Aa part of the agreement, the Declaration states that all factions have agreed to work together  to build “a comprehensive Palestinian national unity that includes all Palestinian factions under the PLO framework, and to commit to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital … with the help of Egypt, Algeria, China and Russia.”

In the near term, the Declaration continued, “a Palestinian national unity government will be temporarily formed with the consensus of all Palestinian factions and by a decision from the president.” That government will be granted authority over all Palestinian territories currently under occupation by Israel, including the Old City of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip.

Following the creation of that unity governmental entity, the Declaration also calls for the creation of a formal unified Palestinian leadership organization in advance of elections yet to be held across all parties. Soon after that should be the elections themselves.

Since the occupation of Palestinian territories continues for now and the war in Gaza continues, the Declaration explicitly recognizes the right of the Palestinian people to oppose the Israeli occupation and to push back against Israel in its attempted displacement of Palestinians from their land. The document includes a formal statement of unified resistance as Israeli attacks against the Palestinian peoples intensify in all occupied regions.

This is just one of several such agreements the Chinese government has worked on to bring together formerly hostile national adversaries to reach a common cause. In March 2023 it helped bring together the nations of Saudi Arabia and Iran, after years of confrontations and squabbling over Middle East policies which affect them both, as well as in the oil trade.

Not only did those discussions bring the two countries back to the point of working together, the discussion led to Iran having far more involvement in the Arab League international organization which includes most other Islamic nations in the Middle East. In addition, thanks in part to what happened last March, as of January 2024 both Iran and Saudi Arabia are now part of BRICS, the geopolitical and economic alliance which was initially launched by China along with Brazil, Russia, India, and South Africa early this century. Together Saudi Arabia and Iran provide foundational “tent poles” in guiding multiple international policy issues throughout most of the Middle East.

Whether the new Palestinian consensus over current policies and future governance structures will stand will take some time to develop. But uniting these differing forces should providing additional leverage for Palestinians seeking a way out from the current conflict, and more effectively to oppose Israel’s being allowed simply to overrun the Palestinians when the current war in Gaza concludes.