By Mike Whitney
China firmly supports the just cause of the Palestinian people in restoring their legitimate national rights, supports all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation through dialogue and consultation, and supports Palestine in realizing solidarity, unity and independent statehood at the earliest possible date. China has been and will continue to make relentless effort to this end. —Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman
China has brought together 14 disparate Palestinian groups and helped them form a unity government that will rule Gaza when the Israeli onslaught ends.
On Tuesday, leaders of the main Palestinian factions—including Hamas and Fatah—signed the Beijing Declaration which establishes an “interim national reconciliation government” to rule post-war Gaza.
The groundbreaking agreement represents the first step towards rapprochement between traditional rivals who have put their differences behind them in the interests of the beleaguered Palestinian people.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C), also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, poses for a group picture with members of the Palestinian factions during the signing of the Beijing Declaration in Beijing, China, July 23, 2024. Credit: Chinese Foreign Ministry
In order to capitalize on the progress they’ve made in Beijing, Palestinian leaders need to call a broad and fully authorized international conference under the auspices of the UN, with regional and international participation.”
By doing this, they will draw more attention to their decades-long struggle for self-determination, which is already gaining momentum due to Israel’s genocidal rampage in Gaza. With the establishment of a de facto national unity government, the Palestinians will also be in a position to request international peacekeepers to protect their legal (1967) borders, which Israel fails to recognize, and which are the source of the ongoing dispute. In order for international law to have any meaning, UN resolutions must be enforceable. Thus, the legitimacy of the United Nations depends largely on its ability to establish and defend a Palestinian state against Zionist aggression. This is from an article at the Global Times:
China has made another significant contribution to the peace and stability of a world in turbulence as 14 factions from Palestine, including Fatah and Hamas, with key support from China, reached a historic declaration for nationwide reconciliation in Beijing on Tuesday. Experts said it will be a key step for Palestinian people to achieve their goal of establishing a state and the realization of long-standing peace between Palestine and Israel….
The latest…. events on the Palestine issue and the Ukraine crisis prove that China, which always upholds its stance for peace… is taking concrete actions to contribute to political settlements, despite the US and US-led military alliances like NATO continuing to add uncertainties and obstacles. China will continue with its efforts to ensure that peace processes in different regions of the world can be delivered…
Historic declaration for Palestine…
The core outcome of the reconciliation dialogue among Palestinian factions held in Beijing is to specify that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) is the sole legitimate representative of all the Palestinian people, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Tuesday….
Ma Xiaolin, dean of the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean Rim at Zhejiang International Studies University, told the Global Times on Tuesday that the declaration is absolutely historic, significant and unprecedented…. (it) is not just a document, but a feasible roadmap with international support and supervision from not only major regional countries but permanent members of the UN Security Council.”… Global Times
Chinese diplomats expect the path to peace to be implemented in three phases:
- Phase 1—“To achieve a comprehensive, lasting and sustainable cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as soon as possible, and ensure access to humanitarian aid and rescue on the ground.”
- Phase 2—“To make joint efforts toward post-conflict governance of Gaza under the principle of “Palestinians governing Palestine.” Gaza is an inseparable, integral part of Palestine.
- Phase 3—“To help Palestine become a full member state of the UN and get down to implementing the two-state solution.”
China should be applauded for bringing the rival factions together and making such a courageous effort to bring the 10 month-long bloodbath in Gaza to an end. They should also be commended for understanding that the broader crisis cannot be resolved without internal reconciliation, which is why China’s foreign ministry arranged to bring all the factions together at one time. Fortunately, the three-day confab helped the leaders to iron-out their differences on key issues including the creation of a provisional “national reconciliation government that will be formed according to the consensus of Palestinian factions and the current Basic Law of the Palestine.”
This is a remarkable achievement for China which has already distinguished itself as the world leader in promoting policies of peace and non-intervention. Keep in mind, that China recently helped to reestablish diplomatic ties between Iran and Saudi Arabia and, also, has made numerous efforts to mediate an end to the war in Ukraine. Wherever hotspots emerge and fighting breaks out, China can be found dousing the flames and trying to bring the opposing-sides to the negotiating table. And while their actions may be ignored by the western media, they are having an impact all the same.
The world needs an actively engaged China to offset the destabilizing effects of Washington’s endless coups, interventions and wars. The Beijing Declaration shows what progress can be made when right-minded leaders act in the interests of peace and conflict resolution.
Bravo, China.
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This article was originally published on The Unz Review.
Michael Whitney is a renowned geopolitical and social analyst based in Washington State. He initiated his career as an independent citizen-journalist in 2002 with a commitment to honest journalism, social justice and World peace.
He is a Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization (CRG).
