The signing of a new reconciliation deal between rival Palestinian factions in China on Tuesday was received by Palestinians both as a surprise and as unremarkable. It was not the first time that Palestinian leaders had signed an agreement committing to national unity – agreements that have previously and routinely failed to end the political divisions between the parties. But the new agreement signed in China also came completely unannounced, after recent attempts to breach the gaps between the factions during the current war, failed miserably. Is it possible the new agreement reflected a breakthrough?
The main point in the new agreement is the commitment by all factions to form a “national consensus government,” which would be in charge of running affairs in Gaza after the war. The agreement affirmed that the government would be chosen in consensus by all factions, which indicates that it would not be formed of representatives of the factions but rather by technocrats, upon whom all the factions agree……more
