Illustration: Chen Xia/Global Times

TheMK sports reconciliation talks between Fatah and Hamas were reportedly held in Beijing last weekend. This marks the second round of Palestinian internal reconciliation talks hosted by China. Dialogue between Fatah and Hamas has proven challenging. Numerous rounds of negotiations and the signing of multiple agreements have failed to yield results. While no one expects a breakthrough from one single meeting, the talks in Beijing are seen as promising due to favorable conditions.

First, the timing of this meeting is favorable. Since July 5, Israel and Hamas resumed indirect negotiations over a cease-fire, with parties involved expressing optimism that an agreement appears to be within reach. The cease-fire deal is set to be implemented in three phases, with the pivotal second phase calls for agreement on a "permanent" truce, which would include a complete Israeli withdrawal and the release of remaining hostages.

According to reports, Hamas officials have raised in recent days the notion of independent, non-partisan bodies taking over governing the Gaza Strip and West Bank following the Gaza conflict. This needs consensus between Fatah and Hamas. 

Only when Hamas commits not to attacking the new Gaza authority, can the authority survive.
Meanwhile, Fatah and Hamas are the two most dominant political factions in Palestine, and forming a non-partisan body without their participation poses an even greater challenge.

The window for achieving a cease-fire agreement is only a matter of weeks, making the urgency to address these issues imminent. 

The cease-fire agreement would signify the end of the Gaza conflict, which is intricately linked to the implementation of the two-state solution. Therefore, this round of talks is not only critical in terms of timing, but it also holds significant implications.

Second, selecting Beijing as the venue for this meeting provides significant advantages. Beijing has hosted relevant talks twice in the past three months, indicating a clear preference from both sides for the city. Beijing offers major advantages as a meeting place.

As a global power, China's hosting of the talks can swiftly bring the Palestinian issue to the forefront of international politics, enhancing the political visibility of both Fatah and Hamas. 

China has maintained a long-standing, proactive and objective stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict and internal Palestinian issues, earning trust from both Hamas and Fatah. China's support for the Palestinian peoples' just cause has been consistent without getting directly involved in internal Palestinian affairs, free from historical burdens or biases. This is an essential quality for a mediator.

In recent years, China has been actively engaged in international conflict resolution, gaining increasing experience, credibility and influence globally. China's successful mediation in the restoration of Saudi-Iran relations in March 2023 was widely praised internationally. In April 2022, China proposed the Global Security Initiative, which has received support and appreciation from more than 100 countries as well as international and regional organizations. The initiative and its core concepts have been incorporated into more than 90 bilateral and multilateral documents on exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries and international organizations.

Third, the representatives from both sides in this round of talks are of high rank, and according to reports, their stances have drawn closer to some extent.

Of course, Palestinian reconciliation is not without challenges, which is why optimism must be tempered with caution. Israel has not abandoned its goal of completely eliminating Hamas, creating significant uncertainty for the future of Hamas. On July 18, Israel's parliament passed a resolution that overwhelmingly rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state. The resolution passed with 68 votes in favor and just nine against it. This further dimmed the prospects for a two-state solution.

Hamas once said that the group would lay down its arms if an independent Palestinian state is established. The Palestinian Authority under President Mahmoud Abbas, who is also the chairman of Fatah, has appointed a new reform-minded government, but remains unwilling to relinquish authority. Yet both Hamas and Israel oppose a Fatah-led Gaza regime. Any of these issues could cause the reconciliation talks to collapse instantly. 

The Beijing talks are closely intertwined with cease-fire negotiations mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar, influencing and complementing each other. The progress of the overall cease-fire negotiations also affects the Beijing talks. From this perspective, in the pursuit of mediating Israel-Palestine peace, Beijing and Washington are not in competition, nor are they in hostile relations. Instead, they can be viewed as being in complementary cooperation.

The author is academic vice president at Ningxia University. [email protected]