Palestinian reconciliation talks in China postponed: Reuters
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Senior Hamas official Basem Naim attributes the delay to a request from the Fatah movement.
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Staff members check the alignment of Chinese, left, and Palestinian flags before the start of a joint press conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing, Thursday, April 13, 2017. (AP)
Reconciliation talks between Hamas and Fatah, initially scheduled for this month in China, have been postponed with no new date set, officials from the two Palestinian factions told Reuters on Monday.
Following a meeting of Palestinian factions hosted by China in April, it was announced that Fatah and Hamas had shown a willingness to pursue reconciliation through unity talks in Beijing. Initially, Fatah and Hamas officials indicated that the meeting would occur in mid-June.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim, who attended the earlier meeting, told Reuters that the meeting had been postponed with no new date scheduled, attributing the delay to a request from Fatah.
Three Fatah officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the postponement and mentioned that the movement planned to release a statement on the matter.
China was one of the first countries to call for a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire in Gaza in order to prevent a humanitarian crisis, calling on "Israel" to lift the blockade imposed on the Strip to ensure the entry of much-needed aid, respect international humanitarian law, and stop targeting all civilian objects and aid workers in Gaza.
Most recently, President Xi Jinping said China was "deeply pained" by the "extremely severe" situation in Gaza.
In April, China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi emphasized that advocating for the admission of a Palestinian state into the United Nations is an endeavor aimed at addressing a longstanding injustice.
Wang has previously expressed his country's support for the establishment of an independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, with the eastern part of al-Quds as its capital.
He also advocated for "an international summit for peace to find a just, comprehensive, and lasting solution to the Palestinian cause by ending the (Israeli) occupation and establishing an independent, contiguous Palestinian state."
In mid-February, China called on "Israel" to halt its aggression on Rafah in the Gaza Strip "without delay," cautioning of an impending "severe humanitarian crisis" should the war persist.
Read more: Honeymoon phase over for China-'Israel' ties
