EXPERT COMMENT
For Palestinian factions a new agreement is more about short term ideological and political priorities than establishing a genuine united front.
The national unity agreement signed by Hamas and Fatah in Beijing on 23 July will not put China on a par with the United States in the Middle East or establish it as an alternative mediator.
Washington has no role in this game, as it can't speak directly to Hamas. Similar conditions facilitated the China-brokered Saudi-Iranian normalization of March 2023. China's aims in brokering the declaration are more strategic and long-term.
In this case, negotiations have only achieved broad principles, not a comprehensive agreement. True Palestinian unity requires a structural change in the Palestinians' political and ideological heritage; deep reform and inclusion of all factions in their institutions; democratic elections; and, above all, an end to the war in Gaza.
Like other previous declarations, this one is likely to be a mirage. But China, Fatah, and Hamas have each clinched their own victories.
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