Meeting Between Fatah and Hamas in Beijing This Weekend

Two Palestinian officials announced that "the Fatah and Hamas movements will meet on the 20th and 21st of this month in Beijing, in response to an invitation from China. This meeting will be followed by a gathering of all Palestinian factions to discuss ways to end the division and address the current situation." Fatah Revolutionary Council Secretary Sabri Sidam confirmed to AFP that "the meeting will take place in China on July 20 and 21, and there may be a bilateral meeting between Fatah and Hamas prior to the factions' gathering." The Hamas delegation will be headed by Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh, while the Fatah delegation will be led by the movement's Deputy Chairman Mahmoud Al-Aloul, according to Fatah sources. Hamas did not immediately provide any comment. Sidam stated that "the goal of this meeting is to end the state of division based on a commitment to what has been agreed upon and to establish the form of relationship between the Palestinian factions in the upcoming phase." A member of the Fatah Executive Committee who preferred to remain anonymous mentioned to the agency that "the meeting between the two movements has been decided, and it will take place a few hours before the joint meeting of the other factions." The details of this meeting were not disclosed, mentioning that "China requested Palestinian officials to avoid discussing the meeting."