SHANGHAI - Geopolitical competition and value competition stand on the road to peace in today's world, and it is difficult to avoid it both internationally and domestically.

In a polarized world, there is almost no market for seeking and making friends by putting aside stereotypes and hatred over maintaining "absolute security" under the pretext of the threat of war. The political ideology behind the security alliance planned by the hegemonic country and its allied countries is to pursue unilateral exclusive security. The result of such alliances and security agreements is often the substitution of one kind of violence for another. Ending one war with another war will not lead to a real long-term peace and prosperity.

In Western academic circles, whether it is the narration of world history or the refinement of international relations theory, the two concepts of the Near East and the Middle East in the original geographical sense are unfriendly and positioned as a place where it is in disarray and a cruel reality. Unfortunately, the Gaza crisis since October 7, 2023, seems to have once again confirmed the above stereotype.

However, division and turmoil should not be the main theme of the Near East and the Middle East. In a world full of uncertainty, people need impartial forces with international credibility to bring about an end to divisions, to restore the path of national unity, to shape international justice based on equity, and to achieve and maintain lasting peace.

The new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict that started on October 7, 2023, has lasted for nearly ten months. On July 23, 2024, through China's mediation, 14 Palestinian factions signed “The Beijing Declaration on ending division and strengthening unity”, which emphasized the internal unity of Palestine. The "Beijing Declaration" signifies a consensus among Palestinian factions to end division and work together towards greater unity and reconciliation.
China's efforts to promote unity in order to bring about a comprehensive and thorough end to the conflict in Gaza have attracted world’s attention.

Internal unity is the key to lasting peace

Bridging internal divisions is the basis for maintaining a stable regional security order. From 21 to 23 July, at the invitation of the Chinese side, 14 factions from Palestine met in Beijing for a reconciliation talk. The Palestinian National Liberation Movement (Fatah), the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and the Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine are all included in the reconciliation talks. Diplomatic envoys to China or their representatives from Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Russia and Turkey, as well as representatives from 14 main Palestinian factions attended the closing ceremony. The talks voiced a strong call for realizing the independent statehood of Palestine in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions.
    
“The Beijing Declaration on ending division and strengthening unity” proposes hosting an international conference with broad participation and full authority. The declaration calls for achieving comprehensive national unity, which would include all Palestinian factions within the framework of the Palestine Liberation Organization, and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
    
Resolving the Palestinian question is central to achieving stability in MENA

Solving the Palestinian issue not only relies on repeatedly emphasizing the basic norms of international relations, but also requires ending the dilemma of internal division in Palestine, so as to truly realize the right of Palestinian people to self-determination.

The establishment of an independent Palestinian state is a moral obligation. Respecting UN General Assembly Resolution 181, Resolution 2334, and UN Security Council Resolution 242 is an international moral obligation. It is an international moral obligation to establish an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the borders before the outbreak of the 1967 war.

After the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, Israel not only aimed to wipe out Hamas, but also revealed its intention to occupy or control the Gaza Strip for a long time after the war. An independent Palestinian State cannot afford to lose Gaza. Gaza is an integral part of the territory of the State of Palestine. Once the control of Gaza falls into the hands of Israel, it will damage the entire Palestinian national liberation movement.

War is unjust

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited to visit the United States, where he delivered a widely protested speech before a joint session of US Congress on July 25, 2024. Netanyahu's speech, which triggered waves of protests, advocated an anti-Iran 'Abraham Alliance' that continued to peddle a bloody war ideology.

Israel is taking advantage of the Palestinian internal divisions to fragment and dismantle the Palestinian viability in national politics as well as in regional security. “The Beijing Declaration” is breaking the political conspiracy to fragment Palestine.

Staying away from war, protecting people's lives and safeguarding a country's right to exist are morally fair and international justice, and even more so, the moral conscience of humanity. War weariness is growing globally, and people are increasingly demanding fairness and justice. The two-state solution is becoming an international consensus. China adheres to the political philosophy that the destiny of a country should be in the hands of its own people. A comprehensive national unity which would include all Palestinian factions is the aspiration of the Palestinian people themselves.

Internal and external conditions for national unity are in place

Internal Palestinian reconciliation greatly facilitates the effectiveness of Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. A fragmented and loose regime has no deterrent effect and no bargaining power in the peace talks.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict, the United Nations, China, the United States, Russia, Egypt and many other countries have been trying to push for a ceasefire to stop the war. In February 2024, Palestinian factions talked in Moscow around the formation of a new unity government and post-conflict reconstruction in Gaza, but no real agreement or substantive results were reached. 

The inability of the traditional forces to make significant progress has made it urgent for the emerging powers with greater responsibility and capacity to take on the burden of persuading and facilitating peace talks and preserving regional peace and stability.

In April 2024, China invited Fatah and Hamas to meet in Beijing to find ways to resolve their differences. The convening of the intra-Palestinian reconciliation talks in Beijing on July 21-23 and the issuance of the Beijing Declaration were historic.

Since launching the Global Security Initiative, China has contributed to the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, thus proving that China is a responsible mediator trusted by its Middle East partners and capable of contributing to peace and security in the Middle East. China hosted the reconciliation talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in March 2023.

Genuine reconciliation requires international cooperation

The implementation of the Beijing Declaration requires the full cooperation of the international community. The establishment of an independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestine is of the utmost importance. For the prosperity and flourishing of Palestine and the promotion of post-war reconstruction and governance, China and the regional and global powers can join hands to make a difference.

Peace will not happen overnight. It needs to be gradual. Talk of reconciliation reveals hope for a way out of suffering, and unity means that there is light ahead. As long as international cooperation is heading in the right direction, it should continue unswervingly.

ZHANG Yuan is professor of the Middle East Studies Institute at the Shanghai International Studies University (SISU)