Regardless of what may happen in the region, one fact remains certain: things will certainly be different going forward.
by Jin Liangxiang
On July 23, 2024, China successfully hosted and mediated the internal reconciliation of Palestine, where 14 Palestinian factions signed the Beijing Declaration. China’s role has certainly been a decisive one, though the roles of Russia and other regional actors in their previous efforts to aid Palestine are also notable. The implications of the latest move will be far-reaching and numerous, but the following are particularly worth mentioning.
Firstly, the latest move will usher in a new period of internal political development in Palestine. In 2006, Palestine held its legislative election, and Hamas won 74 of the total 132 seats while Fatah won 45. However, due to Israeli and Western opposition, a potential Palestine government led by Hamas has never been put in place. In the last 18 years, Palestine’s political makeup has been marked by Fatah and Hamas separately governing the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
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| Palestinian children are seen near a destroyed building after an Israeli airstrike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, on July 24, 2024. (Photo by Marwan Dawood/Xinhua) |
The Beijing Declaration clearly lays out a path towards building a united government in Palestine, including the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. This will usher in a new period for Palestine by constructing a much-needed government that benefits all Palestinian political factions, as well as all its people.
Secondly, the move will help lead Palestine in its struggle to legitimatize its state status. Albeit the constant struggle to materialize the rights prescribed in UN General Assembly Resolution 181 and other UN resolutions, Palestinians have not yet achieved a legitimate state. The reasons are many, including external and regional issues, but the internal division in Palestine certainly constitutes as one of the main obstacles. Internal division not only consumes their own strength but is also often cited as one of Israel’s excuses when refusing meaningful negotiations with Palestine.
The Beijing Declaration will lead to the reconstruction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), the inclusion of Hamas in the PLO, and the establishment of a single government. It is reasonably expected that Palestinians will have a much more organized and effective struggle in their push to legitimize their nationhood. The Declaration eliminated a serious obstacle that has so far restricted the Palestinians.
Thirdly, the move breaks the hold the US has over the international agenda on Palestine by reaching a political solution in the Palestine-Israel conflict. For many years, the United States actively monopolized the issues that are on the agenda on Palestine, though the US did contribute to peace processes in the 1990s by reaching the Oslo Accords. Yet the biased approach of the US in the conflict and its unconditional support for Israel unavoidably resulted in the failure of the mentioned peace process.
As a result of the monopoly, Palestinian authorities and institutions have been viewed as either corrupt or illegitimate and the nature of the Palestine issue has been distorted to make it seem like a result of an absence of democracy, as was the case in Bush Jr.’s presidency. Later, the issue was seen through the eyes of terrorism and counter terrorism instead of occupation and counter occupation. The peace process, even unbalanced, had long been delayed due to these immense distortions.
For many years, the reasonable voice of the Global South, including China and other actors, has been either downplayed or not sufficiently regarded in the political solution of Palestine, though the US did intend to include China in its own framework.
The last nine months witnessed some of the most brutal attacks in human history, carried out by the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip. The Global South is now openly voicing their positions in the ICJ and UN, suggesting that the US can no longer control the discourse surrounding Palestine. China’s efforts in mediating the internal reconciliation is a part of global efforts to reasonably reshape what is included in the agenda on Palestine.
Fourthly, the move signifies the changing geopolitical landscape in the Middle East. The US has played a dominant role in the Middle East since the end of the Cold War. While the US has monopolized the general narrative regarding Palestine, it also controls issues on the security agenda for the Gulf region, depicting Iran as a serious threat and the US as a security provider for GCC countries.
Unfortunately, countries like China and Russia—though well versed on the problematic nature of the region’s security structure—have not been able to play as active a role in the region. The US continues to maintain the largest military presence in the Middle East, with over thirty thousand troops and scores of military bases. In addition to this well-developed military machine, the US dominates and controls international narratives regarding the Middle East, as it has the most advanced media apparatus in the world.
Throughout the last two years, China has been more than willing to invest in more political, economic and diplomatic resources in the region. On March 10, 2023, China mediated the reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia. Though, as goes the saying, “one bite does not finish a meal”, China did play a critical role in initiating the reconciliation process. This suggests that China, using its growing international prestige and its diplomatic and economic resources, is now also contributing to the security of the region, while the US—by containing Iran militarily—has failed to deliver on its promise of regional security.
China’s success as a mediator in the internal reconciliation of Palestine suggests that China’s proactive diplomacy in the region is not a one-off move: China is more than willing to contribute to regional stability and peace. As China’s role is welcomed by regional actors, it will continue to go grow, as will the role of the Global South. In turn, China’s growing influence suggests that the US can no longer monopolize regional narratives or regional agendas.
Of course, the Beijing Declaration is but a small step in the long journey toward legitimizing Palestine’s status and to peace. The US and Israel will no doubt try to undermine the process as the US would not like to see China playing a greater role on an issue that used to be regarded as part of US privilege and domain. Neither the US nor Israel would like to recognize Hamas as a legitimate aspect of Palestine’s political landscape.
However, the world has changed over the last years; the Global South has grown to be more confident to play a stronger role in international affairs. Additionally, China is more than willing to invest in more diplomatic and economic resources for peace and for justice in the region.
Regardless of what may happen in the region, one fact remains certain: things will certainly be different going forward.
Jin Liangxiang Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SII) and Non-Resident Senior Fellow of the Middle East Council on Global Affairs (ME Council)
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