Barsam Mohammadi – regional issues expert

The Beijing Declaration, signed after two days of intensive negotiations with representatives of 14 Palestinian groups, including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Fatah, can be a “fundamental step” towards solving the Palestinian issue and a new era of “completing the process of reconciliation and unity within “Palestinians. It will probably set a successful perspective for the developments in Palestine.

According to the articles contained in the Declaration, which the Zionists have opposed, the Palestinian groups agreed that while uniting national efforts to confront the Zionist aggression, stop the war and genocide in Gaza, and end the crimes committed by the settlers against the Palestinian people with the support of the United States, emphasizing the “unification of the Palestinian land including the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip” and “creating a provisional national reconciliation government,” “an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital” according to the relevant UN resolutions, especially resolutions 181 and 2334 and guaranteeing the right of return of the Palestinians based on Resolution 1947.

Meanwhile, all Palestinian groups have agreed that they should join the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) as the sole legal representative of the Palestinians.

Regarding the Beijing Declaration, there are points to consider, the most important of which are mentioned below:

One: In recent years, to improve its global status, China has become one of the most effective actors in international development and in the West Asian region by adopting a different approach compared to Western countries. China’s recent initiative urging Palestinian groups to agree on forming a national unity government can also be evaluated in this framework and is in line with Xi Jinping’s “global security and development peace initiative,” which was proposed on April 21, 2022. In the framework of the initiative mentioned above, China has so far presented two important plans, “China’s five-point initiative for security and stability in the Middle East” and “China’s new security architecture for the Middle East” for the West Asian region. The Beijing Declaration and the unity of different Palestinian groups is the latest manifestation of China’s global security initiative in West Asia. China’s mediation to restore relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia is another manifestation of China’s security initiative in the region.

Two: It seems that China’s goals in facilitating the process of forming a national unity government in Palestine are not only unity and reconciliation between different Palestinian groups or only the formation of a unified government, but with this initiative, Beijing is gaining new experience to play a role in the management of global and regional affairs on a more expanded scale.

The Beijing Declaration, considering its provisions, including reconciliation between two long-time rivals, namely Hamas and Fatah, shows that Beijing is taking steps to maintain global and regional peace and security with a plan based on predetermined plans. The global security initiative that China has designed to promote international peace and security has shown its relative success at various times and has now reached its peak in the Beijing Declaration issued in the midst of the Gaza war.

Three: The most important “strength” of the model designed by the Palestinian groups with the mediation of China is its opposition to the Zionist regime’s declared and implemented policies and programs in occupied Palestine. More importantly, the Beijing Declaration is against the recent Knesset resolution on the formation of a Palestinian state.

The Beijing Declaration for the formation of the Palestinian unity government includes these steps: The end of the Gaza war, the faster withdrawal of the Zionist regime from Gaza, the end of the settlement process in East Jerusalem and the 1947 borders, the unification of Palestine including the West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, the formation of a Palestinian state and the approval of the Security Council.

Four: Despite some disagreements between Iran and China, Beijing’s new initiative is in line with Iran’s foreign policy towards the Palestinian issue. At the current stage, Iran’s priority is to maintain and strengthen the internal unity in Palestine and the end of the Gaza war, so it welcomes every effort and initiative in this field. In fact, the Islamic Republic of Iran follows a clear and stable policy that wants the end of the occupation and the liberation of the occupied Palestinian territories, the return of the refugees, and the formation of a Palestinian state.

In addition, the Beijing Declaration fundamentally “challenges” the goals and strategies of the United States and Europe regarding the developments in Palestine.

It seems that the “structural unity” between Palestinian institutions and organizations, especially with Hamas, which is currently the main player in Palestine in the developments related to the Gaza war, has strengthened Hamas and, of course, other resistance groups in various political, military, and other fields in the Palestinian internal camp, and subsequently, in Gaza.

On the other hand, this structural unity will definitely have important consequences in the current process of the Gaza war. It will force the Zionist regime to “accept a ceasefire” in the short term. In addition to these, the “line of nullification” will be on the Zionist regime’s goals and strategies in the Gaza war.