China to host Palestinian unity talks between Islamist militant group "Hamas" and its rivals "Fatah". This was reported by "Reuters", citing sources from the two groups and a Chinese diplomat.
China's involvement in Palestinian diplomacy against the background of the war in the Gaza Strip is remarkable.
"Hamas", which controls Gaza, is the group whose fighters stormed Israeli cities on October 7, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages. Israel vows to destroy "Hamas" in an attack that killed more than 34,000 Palestinians.
"Fatah" is the movement of Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
The two rival Palestinian factions have been unable to resolve their political disputes since the "Hamas" kicked out "Fatah" from Gaza in a brief war in 2007. Washington has been wary of reconciliation efforts between the two groups, as it supports the PA, but banned "Hamas" as a terrorist organization.
Employee of "Fatah" said a delegation led by a senior official of the group, Azzam Al-Ahmed, had left for China. Representative of "Hamas" said the faction's negotiating team, led by senior Hamas official Musa Abu Marzouk, would fly in later on Friday.
"We support strengthening the authority of the Palestinian National Authority and support all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation and increasing solidarity through dialogue and consultation," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said at a regular briefing on Friday, without confirming the meeting.
The visit will be the first publicly known visit by a Hamas delegation to China since the start of the Gaza war. According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Chinese diplomat Wang Kejian met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar last month.
The Beijing-based diplomat who was briefed on the matter said the talks were aimed at supporting reconciliation efforts between the two warring Palestinian groups.
China has recently demonstrated growing diplomatic influence in the Middle East, where it has strong ties with Arab nations and Iran. Last year, Beijing brokered a breakthrough peace deal between longtime regional foes Saudi Arabia and Iran.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said he discussed with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials in Beijing on Friday how China can play a constructive role in global crises, including in the Middle East.
Chinese officials have stepped up their support for the Palestinians at international forums in recent months, calling for a larger Israeli-Palestinian peace conference and a concrete timetable for implementing a two-state solution.
In February, Beijing called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give its opinion on Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, which it says is illegal.
Most recently, China pushed for Palestine to join the United Nations, which Beijing's top diplomat Wang Yi said last week would "redress a long-standing historical injustice.