Egypt, China Demand Ceasefire in Gaza, Establishment of an Independent Palestinian State

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Egyptian Presidency)
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Egypt, China Demand Ceasefire in Gaza, Establishment of an Independent Palestinian State

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Egyptian Presidency)
President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (Egyptian Presidency)

Egypt and China agreed on the necessity of an immediate ceasefire in Gaza to protect and provide relief to civilians, defuse tension in the region, and mitigate factors of regional instability.
On Sunday, Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi received Members of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang is currently on an African tour that will see him also visit Togo, Tunisia, and Ivory Coast.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, senior Chinese officials, and China's Ambassador to Egypt.
Presidential Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said the Chinese minister handed Sisi a letter from President Xi Jinping, confirming China's commitment to further advancing the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.
The letter valued Egypt's role in consolidating the Middle East's security, stability, and development.
According to the Egyptian statement, the meeting touched on ways to strengthen frameworks of cooperation.
Both sides called to continue joint economic development projects at the bilateral level and within the framework of their membership of the BRICS grouping and the Belt and Road Initiative.
They also exchanged views on regional and international developments, notably the ongoing escalation in the region against the backdrop of the Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Sisi underscored the need to reach a ceasefire in Gaza to protect civilians, provide them with relief from the catastrophic humanitarian situation they have been enduring, defuse tension in the region, and avoid factors aggravating regional instability.
China's Foreign Minister concurred with Egypt's position and valued its internationally recognized role along political and humanitarian tracks.
During the talks, Egypt and China underscored the vital need to comply with international law, reiterating their categorical rejection of individual and collective forced transfer or forced displacement of the Palestinians from their lands.
They also agreed on the necessity to address the root causes of the crisis through a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian cause based on the two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State by the resolutions of international legitimacy.
The two sides stressed the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities to enforce the delivery of relief into the Gaza Strip, in line with the relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions.
Later, the Egyptian Foreign Minister held a joint press conference with his Chinese counterpart asserting the necessity of establishing an independent, fully sovereign state of Palestine on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
A joint statement of the two ministers urged an immediate and complete ceasefire and an end to all acts of violence, killing, and targeting of civilians and civilian facilities.
In the statement, Cairo and Beijing called for creating a political horizon for peace between the Israeli and Palestinian sides and coexistence between the two peoples.
China maintains good relations with Israel, but for decades, it has supported the Palestinian cause and called for settling the conflict based on a two-state solution.
The two ministers closely follow security developments in the Red Sea. They expressed concern about the expansion of the conflict in the region and stressed the priority of ensuring the safety and security of navigation in the Red Sea.
Wang later said in a press conference that the Red Sea is an essential international corridor for goods and energy, urging an end to harassment of civilian ships and maintaining the smooth flow of supply chains, production, and the global trade system.
The Chinese official considered the tension in the Red Sea "an embodiment of the external repercussions of the conflict in Gaza."
The Security Council did not authorize any country to use force against Yemen, and it is necessary to avoid fueling the tensions in the Red Sea, said Wang.
The Egyptian minister warned of the dangers of expanding the conflict in the Gaza Strip.
Shoukry warned that the escalation on the Lebanese border and tensions in the Red Sea indicate an expansion of the conflict.

 



Abbas Seeks Direct, Intensive Talks with Hamas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a cancer center opening in Ramallah on Wednesday (AFP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a cancer center opening in Ramallah on Wednesday (AFP)
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Abbas Seeks Direct, Intensive Talks with Hamas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a cancer center opening in Ramallah on Wednesday (AFP)
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a cancer center opening in Ramallah on Wednesday (AFP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has instructed Fatah and other factions within the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) to engage in direct and intensive dialogue with Hamas in a bid to reach a comprehensive agreement that would bring the group into the Palestinian political system, Palestinian sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

According to the sources, Abbas urged Fatah’s leadership to increase pressure on Hamas — directly or through countries with influence over the group — to turn the page on years of division and usher in a new phase in which Hamas would transform into a political party, hand over control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority (PA), and commit to its decisions, institutions and laws.

Abbas also ordered the formation of a national dialogue committee, comprising members of Fatah’s Central Committee and the PLO’s Executive Committee, to oversee negotiations with Hamas and work toward ending the political split.

The move follows a late April meeting of the Central Council, during which Abbas reiterated the need for Hamas to relinquish its control of Gaza and return the coastal enclave to the authority of the Palestinian government.

Abbas views the recent resolutions of the Council as the foundation for any agreement with Hamas, aimed not only at resolving the Gaza impasse but also at advancing the broader goal of establishing a Palestinian state, sources told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Sources noted that Abbas considers the Council’s outcomes as binding terms for moving forward, stressing that unity talks must align with the national agenda of statehood.

In its final communiqué, the Council stressed that any political solution must lead to the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state along the pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Council also underscored the need for territorial and political unity, calling for a single political, legal and administrative system across all Palestinian lands.

It further declared that decisions related to war, peace and negotiations are national matters and cannot be determined unilaterally by any single faction or party.

Reaffirming the role of the PLO, the Council described it as the sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people and the national umbrella for all Palestinians. It emphasized the importance of adhering to the PLO’s political program and international commitments.

Abbas has also called on Hamas to prioritize the national interest, warning that the current situation poses an existential threat to the Palestinian national project and the dream of statehood.

“The situation is no longer just about Gaza,” one source told Asharq Al-Awsat. “It is dangerous, sensitive and decisive. What happens in Gaza now is directly tied to the fate of the Palestinian state.”

As per sources, there is regional consensus among Arab states that Hamas joining the Palestinian political system and transferring authority in Gaza to the PA offers the best way out of the current crisis, paving the way for renewed political momentum toward statehood.

The United States has also been kept informed of these developments, the sources added.

No Gaza Without a State

Speaking on Wednesday at the opening of a cancer advisory center in Ramallah, Abbas reaffirmed that only the future Palestinian state would be allowed to govern Gaza, expressing the PA’s readiness to assume full responsibility for the coastal enclave.

“If they agree, we are ready to go and take over full responsibility for Gaza, just like before the 2007 coup,” Abbas said, in reference to Hamas’s takeover of the territory. He accused unnamed actors of helping Hamas seize control in order to undermine Palestinian unity.

“We support full national unity — unity in all areas of life, in every institution, and among all factions,” Abbas said.

“But let’s be clear: anyone who truly wants national unity must commit to the Palestine Liberation Organization, the collective home of all Palestinians.”

In recent weeks, the PA has implemented its most extensive internal reforms since its inception.

These include creating the post of vice president, reshuffling top leadership in the security services, placing hundreds of senior officers into early retirement, and launching security campaigns across the West Bank.

Hamas has expressed a willingness to engage in national reconciliation efforts but is calling for a broader national dialogue to reach consensus on all major issues, including governance, arms, and the future of Gaza, sources familiar with the group’s position said.

According to the sources, Hamas has conveyed to the PA and regional mediators that it is prepared to accept a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, discuss the future of its weapons, and relinquish control of the Gaza Strip as part of a comprehensive political agreement.

However, the group has yet to respond positively to other demands and says broader discussions are still needed.

A senior Hamas source confirmed ongoing direct and indirect communication with the PA and the Fatah movement.

“We have been receiving messages through both direct and indirect channels,” the source told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“We made it clear to our brothers in Fatah that we are ready to resolve all contentious issues and are committed to that—on the basis of national principles and previous agreements. Now we are waiting for Fatah’s response.”

Years of Failed Attempts

This is not the first time the rival factions have attempted to heal the divide. Since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, the two sides have met hundreds of times and launched numerous national dialogue initiatives.

While several agreements were signed, none succeeded in ending the long-standing split between the West Bank-based PA and Hamas-ruled Gaza.

Efforts at reconciliation gained renewed urgency following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, which has further strained the fragile Palestinian political landscape.

Years of failed reconciliation efforts between Fatah and Hamas have repeatedly stumbled over fundamental disagreements — from the formation and authority of a unified government, to control over security forces, weapons, and Hamas’s integration into the PLO.

Even during the current war in Gaza, when pressure for unity surged, the factions reached a preliminary agreement in Beijing to form a national unity government — but the deal never materialized.

According to a senior PA official, the events of Oct. 7 marked a turning point for the Palestinian cause and reshaped the political landscape.

“October 7 changed everything,” the official told Asharq Al-Awsat.

“The cause now stands at a crossroads, and Hamas must reckon with the new ‘nakba’ it has brought upon the Palestinian people,” they added.