Hamas-Fatah Meet in China, Palestinian Unity Government Has More Chances of Forming

Also read: Hamas Ready to Recognize Israel and Lay Down Weapons

Previously, Al-Hayya stated that Hamas is ready to establish a unity government in Palestine. Hamas is also ready to lay down its weapons and accept an independent Palestine with borders according to the 1967 conditions.

Since 2017, Hamas has stated several times that they are ready to accept an independent Palestine with borders in accordance with the 1967 situation and not before 1948. In other words, indirectly, Hamas is willing to recognize Israel. This is because Israel was proclaimed in 1948 and then occupied part of the Palestinian mandate territory.

Meanwhile, Moussa Abu Marzouk led the Hamas delegation to China early Saturday morning. As for Azzam al-Ahmed, he led the Fatah delegation to China. According to Reuters, they will discuss the technicalities of forming a Palestinian unity government. The exact location and time of the meeting were not disclosed.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wang Wenbin, neither denied nor affirmed the meeting plan. "We support the strengthening of the authority of the Palestinian National Authority and support all Palestinian factions in achieving reconciliation," he said.

Also read: Apparatus Increasingly Brutal in Facing Waves of Pro-Palestinian Demonstrations on Campuses in the US

What is clear is that China's Special Envoy Wang Kejian has met the Head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh. During the meeting in Qatar on March 19 2024, Haniyeh told Wang that the war must end.

Expansion of support

From Australia and Europe it is reported that support from academics for ending the Gaza War continues to expand. In Sydney and Melbourne, students from a number of universities set up solidarity tents to demand an end to the Gaza War.

University of Sydney student, Yasmine Johnson, stated that among the protesters were those who demanded that the university administrators stop investing permanent funds in Israel. Such investment is seen as one of Israel's means to continue occupying and annexing the West Bank and Gaza.

Meanwhile in Paris, protesters occupied Science Po. This elite French university has been rocked by demonstrations against the Gaza War since several days ago. Protesters set up tents on the main field of the 1.5 century old university.

Also read: US Officials Arrest Students Opposing the Gaza War

Just like in Australia, demonstrators at Science Po also demand divestment of campus funds from Israel. According to the Science Po administration, both the demonstrators and the administration as well as the deanship agreed to continue academic discussions on divestment.

The rectorate and deans also agreed to cancel all planned sanctions or sanctions that have been imposed on the protesting participants. Science Po Rector Jean Basseres made a written statement about it.

The agreement and promises made the protesters at Science Po gradually disperse. Meanwhile, in several other universities in France, the protests are still ongoing.

University students from several German universities also protest. They are protesting against Germany's full support of Israel, a support that is one of the causes of the ongoing Gaza War.

University threats

At George Washington University (GWU) in the United States, a group of protesting students received threats from the rectorate and dean's office. If they continue to participate in protests, grades for several courses will be cancelled. Some even face the threat of being expelled from university dormitories.

The threat caused a number of protesters to leave the demonstration site. Meanwhile, some students, together with a number of GWU lecturers, continue to protest, demanding the divestment of the campus's perpetual funds from various Israeli institutions.

The Columbia University Senate has requested a statement from Columbia University President, Nemat Minouche Shafik. The senate cannot accept Shafik's decision to call the police to disperse the protest rejecting the Gaza War.

The decision was viewed as a form of suppression of academic freedom and freedom of speech. The Columbia University rectorate was deemed to have disregarded governance and transparency in the decision-making process on campus.

A police raid on campus also occurred at the University of Colorado. Police arrested protesters who demanded that the campus withdraw its investments from various Israeli institutions. The demonstrators also called for an end to the Gaza War. (AFP/REUTERS/AP)