TEHRAN, July 16 — China will host senior officials from Palestine’s Gaza-based Hamas and the West Bank-based Fatah for a meeting next week, Islamic republic news agency (Irna) reported.
Irna cited a New York Times report from last night, according to which anonymous Palestinian officials announced the meeting between Hamas and Fatah is being held as part of another effort by Beijing to resolve the differences between the two groups that have been competing for years.
In April, Beijing hosted the first round of talks to reach a potential deal, and China President Xi Jinping previously called for a peace summit to end the war in Gaza.
China has historically supported the Palestinian cause and has been in favour of a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
After China Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in April the United States should support the United Nations resolution to establish a ceasefire in Gaza, China officials have increasingly addressed ongoing Israeli crimes in Gaza.
Repeating Beijing’s calls for an immediate ceasefire, Wang described Israel’s war on Gaza as “a tragedy for humanity and a disgrace to civilisation”.
— Bernama
