China Announces Palestinian Unity Pact: How Netanyahu’s Policies Fostered Hamas-Fatah Collaboration

by J.D. Hester Posted onJuly 29, 2024

It is clear that while the United States continues to support disastrous wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the global community will not trust the United States as a legitimate partner for peace. Meanwhile, China has, in recent years, postured itself as a unifying force for peace in the world. Whether or not you believe that China is sincere in its supposed desire for world peace, it has achieved some success. Most recently, China successfully helped facilitate a deal between Hamas and Fatah, the two leading political forces in Palestine, to create a unity government in post-war Palestine. Through peace agreements such as the Saudi-Iran deal, China has created real pathways towards peace in the Middle East. Additionally, China’s Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukrainian Crisis has been cited by Russia as a viable peace agreement which could end Europe’s latest war. Chinese diplomats also met with Ukrainian diplomats in an attempt to bring both sides of the war to the bargaining table. After a day of “very deep and concentrated” conversation, Ukraine stated that it is open to peace talks on the condition that Russia “acts in good faith”.

While China’s latest deal between the two major political parties in Palestine is historic, it should come as no surprise to anyone that China would be successful in its efforts to broker a deal. Judging by the fact that Hamas and Fatah fought a civil war, it is clear that the secular moderates of Fatah and the radical Islamists of Hamas clearly have different views for how Gaza should be run. Nevertheless, both sides have a clear and common enemy in Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israel even if President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah blames Hamas for the current stage of the conflict in Gaza and disagrees with Hamas’s vicious October 7th terror attacks.

Clearly, Fatah’s new alliance with Hamas is a purely pragmatic attempt at forming a united government to rebuild post-war Gaza and not an endorsement of Islamic terrorism. Nevertheless, warmongers like Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel Katz, have stated on X that “…Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face.” Katz further stated that “…[the unity government] won’t happen because Hamas’s rule will be crushed…” even though multiple mainstream news organizations including CNN have reported that Israel has “no viable plan for how to end the war or what comes next”. Even top spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, Adm. Daniel Hagari, does not seem to think the war is winnable calling Hamas “an idea”.

The only way to defeat ideas is to present alternatives. Unfortunately, Benjamin Netanyahu has only helped add fuel to the fire of the “idea” of Hamas throughout his political career. In an attempt to prevent Mahmoud Abbas or any other Palestinian figure from establishing an internationally recognized Palestinian state, Netanyahu encouraged Egypt and Qatar to allow Hamas to receive funding from abroad. Netanyahu willingly allowed a terrorist organization to grow in strength to oppose secular moderates in Gaza, and did not take the empowered terror group’s threats seriously even though he had intelligence of their plans a year in advance. He then launched an indiscriminate bombing campaign and invasion which killed thousands of civilians and made the terrorists even more popular. With this in mind, is it any surprise that Fatah and Hamas are tired of being used as tools against each other?

Ultimately, Netanyahu’s Israel has learned from the mistakes of Apartheid South Africa. They have learned that it is much easier to justify war crimes against civilians when the enemies are terrorists. It is much harder to carry out a genocide while maintaining the support of foreign powers if the enemies are secular democrats wishing for peace and equality (like Fatah or the African National Congress).

Hamas and Fatah may hate each other, but both groups hate Israel more and realize that a divided government in a post-war Gaza will only play into the hand of Israel.

J.D. Hester is an American writer born and raised in Arizona. He has previously written for antiwar.com. You can send him an email at josephdhester@gmail.com.