China has brokered an agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, paving the way for the formation of a national unity government.
The Beijing Declaration signed on Tuesday comes as international mediators work to secure a “day-after” plan in Gaza. Under the terms of the agreement, the new unity government would be responsible for managing affairs in Gaza and Judea and Samaria.
Hamas and the PA led by Mahmoud Abbas, have been at odds since the 2006 Gaza elections, which saw Hamas emerge victorious. However, the United States and the European Union refused to recognize the Hamas-led government due to the group’s terrorist activities and its refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist.
The ensuing political stalemate and economic sanctions imposed exacerbated tensions, ultimately leading to a brief civil war. Hamas emerged victorious and expelled the PA from Gaza in 2007.
Senior Hamas official Hussam Badran immediately hailed the dangerous agreement.
“This creates a formidable barrier against all regional and international interventions that seek to impose realities against our people’s interests in managing Palestinian affairs post-war,” Badran said.
However, the deal has drawn sharp criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made it clear that his goal is to destroy the Iran-backed Hamas group that butchered Israeli citizens on October 7.
“I will not allow us to replace Hamastan with Fatahstan, that we replace Khan Yunis with Jenin. There will not be any element that educates for terrorism, finances terrorism, and dispatches terrorists,” Netanyahu said.
“I will not allow the State of Israel to repeat the fateful mistake of Oslo, which brought to the heart of our country and to Gaza the most extreme elements in the Arab world, which are committed to the destruction of the State of Israel and who educate their children to this end.”
If this agreement indeed manages to weather the storm of their complex history, it could spell disaster for Israel’s security. The sheer volume of innocent Israeli blood spilled by Hamas and the PA over the years is beyond measure, and a unified front will only embolden their deadly mission to destroy the Jewish State.
Comments (0)