China acting responsibly in hosting reconciliation talks

This is an editorial from China Daily.

As Israel's military operations in Gaza, most recently the town of Rafah, intensify global humanitarian concerns over civilian casualties, the issue of Palestinian statehood is back in the spotlight.

With more and more countries supporting the "two-state" solution to the historical conflict between Israel and Palestine, the internal divide among the Palestinians has emerged as an outstanding obstacle on the road to Palestinian statehood. The Palestinians' seeming inability to manage internal divisions and control the frictions has been a regular pretext for Western and Israeli opposition to immediate statehood for the Palestinians.

By hosting a fresh round of interfactional talks among Palestine's major political actors, Beijing is taking a proactive step to push for Palestinian national reconciliation, and ultimately Palestinian statehood. The talks also represent a new attempt by Palestine to introduce order at home.

As Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning stated, the Chinese side has persistently shown solid support for the factions in Palestine to achieve reconciliation and unity through consultation and to build an independent state as soon as possible. The latest Beijing talks are a part of those efforts.

The second round of reconciliation negotiations going on in Beijing reportedly feature 14 Palestinian political factions, including the Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah) and the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). While the meeting is an endorsement of Chinese enthusiasm for the Palestinians' pursuit of statehood, a more important driver behind it is the Palestinian recognition that reconciliation is necessary for a stable state. A Fatah official was quoted by a Turkish news agency as saying his organization would "participate in the meeting in Beijing with an open mind, and seriously consider ending division". It also quoted a member of the Hamas Political Bureau as saying they would accept Beijing's invitation, because they "yearn to accomplish national unity". Representatives of the two factions held their first consultation in Beijing in April, which was widely viewed as a promising start for the journey toward reconciliation among the various Palestinian factions.

What Beijing has contributed to that process has not been limited to moral support. According to the Foreign Ministry, Beijing's position has been fully reflected in the advisory opinions issued by the International Court of Justice calling for Israel to immediately end its illegal occupation of Palestinian land.

If, as some international observers have reported, China could offer a framework for the talks to be productive, that would certainly be a greater contribution.

Since Palestinian divisions suit the agendas of Israel and the United States, Tel Aviv and Washington have been trying to distort Beijing's good intentions and undermine and obstruct its efforts to promote Palestinian reconciliation. Doing so leaves them at odds with the conscience of the world. China stands firmly on the side of peace and justice and it will continue to do what it can to promote the settlement of the Palestinian issue.