Beijing Declaration on Palestinian unity and China's peace efforts widely hailed

International organizations, regional countries and analysts have hailed the Chinese-brokered Beijing Declaration that ends division and strengthens unity among Palestinian factions, citing the "exceptional success in diplomacy" as a breakthrough on the way to UN-supported resolution of Middle East crisis.

They also said the challenge now is to secure international support to put the agreement into practice despite external pressures and Israeli opposition.

On July 23, 14 Palestinian factions, including two of the largest groups, Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), signed a declaration in Beijing pledging to end differences following three days of discussions.

This latest development followed an earlier meeting in April, at the invitation of China, when representatives of the Hamas and Fatah among others visited Beijing for talks on promoting intra-Palestinian reconciliation.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the diplomatic breakthrough in Beijing. Stephane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN chief, said Guterres "very much welcomes the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the Palestinian factions".

Terming the deal as "an important step toward furthering Palestinian unity," Dujarric said the secretary-general "encourages all factions to overcome their differences through dialogue and urges them to follow up on the commitments that were made in Beijing and the declaration they signed on to".

"We've seen this before, we've talked about it before, and I think all steps toward unity are to be welcomed and encouraged," he said.

Guterres also expressed his appreciation for the diplomatic efforts being made by China as well as efforts of other countries involved in facilitating the process, Dujarric said.

On his X account, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said he commended the Chinese government for facilitating talks between Fatah, Hamas and 12 other Palestinian political factions.

"It is my sincere hope that this declaration of unity will translate into tangible results on the ground and withstand future challenges," said Anwar, adding that all relevant parties "must work toward ending the barbaric attacks on the Palestinians by Israeli forces".

In addition, he said: "I urge Governments around the world that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to immediately recognize it, in addition to supporting this declaration of unity."

Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif said on his X account that he applauded the People's Republic of China "for securing this diplomatic success".

Today's agreement ignites hope that lasting peace can be achieved, he said.

"The world must stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and urge Israel to end its brazen violence that has destroyed Gaza and killed around 40,000 innocent Palestinians during the last ten months," said Sharif as he affirmed Pakistan's unwavering support for the Palestinian cause.

Sven Koopmans, the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, at learning about the Beijing Declaration, said on his X account: China has an important role in reconciliation based on the two-State solution and a halt to violence. Glad to work jointly for ME (Middle East) peace."

The Foreign Ministry of Turkey said in a statement: "We welcome the gathering of Palestinian political factions in Beijing at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and their acceptance of a declaration aimed at achieving national unity."

Turkey expects the longstanding efforts aimed at achieving political unity in Palestine to yield positive results "as soon as possible," according to Anadolu Agency. 

The Sultanate of Oman also welcomed the meeting of Palestinian factions in China and the ensuing signing of the Beijing Declaration.

In a statement issued by Oman's Foreign Ministry, Oman stressed the significance of Palestinians joining ranks and called for empowering Palestinians "by all political and diplomatic means towards the prime goal of ending the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories", according to a report by the Oman News Agency.

Oman emphasized that this "highly needed goal" should be achieved in a manner that "is consistent with the Palestinian people's aspirations for freedom and peace, as well as the realization of relevant resolutions of international legitimacy".

Many excited Gaza residents have expressed hopes that the declaration will end their years-long suffering. But Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, slammed the agreement in his X account post.

Jasim Husain, a Gulf analyst and former member of Bahrain's parliament, told China Daily that the latest development is an "exceptional success for Chinese diplomacy for facilitating an agreement between so many Palestinian factions".

"China doing the unimaginable and doing so in critical times during the war in Gaza and arranging for the day when the hostilities are over. The challenge now lies in securing international support for the deal and ensuring that Israel would not rock the boat," said Husain.

"Once again, the olive branch for peace in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region comes from China," he added.

Ebrahim Hashem, an Asia Global fellow at the Asia Global Institute of the University of Hong Kong, called China's latest move "another major diplomatic breakthrough for China in the Middle East", following Beijing's mediation of the Saudi-Iran reconciliation in March last year.

"China's position on Palestine represents the international consensus that only a two-state solution can end the central issue of the region," said Hashem, who is also a former adviser to the chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office and former head of the strategy division of Abu Dhabi National Oil.

Hashem told China Daily that by bringing the Palestinian groups together and signing a declaration, China has demonstrated that there is "a better and more positive way to address the question of Palestine".

Hussein Maklad, professor of international relations at Damascus University in Syria, told China Daily that the Palestinian conciliation in China is "a very important achievement" for Palestinian people who "suffer from genocide committed by Israel with full support of the United States and impunity".

"The American administrations have done almost everything possible to divide the Palestinians. Dividing the Palestinians in fact entrenches the status quo, makes it impossible to change the situation where Israel is making negotiations impossible by expanding settlements and so on," said Maklad.

He recalled Fatah and Hamas having agreed to unite in the past, but only to have those agreements collapse due to their conflicting strategies and "pressures from countries like the US and some European countries" that are aligned with Israel's policies.

He believes the US and Israel "don't want the Palestinians to get their act together" as it helps Israel "maintain indefinite control over the occupied territories and expanding settlements".

"I think it is time for Palestinians to unite against Israeli brutality and reach to the minimal consensus terms which would probably be a return to or very close to the pre-1967 frontiers," said Maklad.

"There should also be a resolution of the refugee issue stemming from the 1948 War of Independence when thousands of Palestinians fled. That would demonstrate some acceptance by Israel of Israeli responsibility, "he added.

Dina Yulianti Sulaeman, director of the Indonesia Center for Middle East Studies, told China Daily, that the success of 14 Palestinian factions, especially Hamas and Fatah, in joining an agreement "is due to China's impartial efforts", which "provide space for the Palestinian people to formulate what is best for them".

"The result would be much different if the mediator were the US, which from the start was clear that it would always side with Israel. The signing of the declaration shows that sincere Chinese-style diplomacy has a greater chance of helping the Palestinian cause, which has been going on for 76 years," said Sulaeman.

The Beijing Declaration proposes hosting an international conference with broad participation and full authority. It also calls for achieving comprehensive national unity, which would include all Palestinian factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.

Calling the Palestinian issue the core issue of the Middle East, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that China has no selfish interests in the issue and remains a staunch advocate of justice and fairness.

"China has a lot of political capital, credibility and goodwill in the region.  China's position on core regional issues is aligned with that of the Arabs and the global majority," said Hashem from the UAE.

"China's diplomatic breakthroughs are proving that the Middle East is experiencing the birth of a new regional order, in which no one single country or bloc of countries will have monopoly and that a new framework will have to be used to deal with the regional affairs," he added.