The Hamas-Fatah Deal Is Part of China’s Global South Leadership Bid

In precocious July, China scored a diplomatic coup by bringing complete a twelve factions of Palestinian governmental groups to Beijing, wherever they signed an statement calling for a unified activity of Palestine. China’s negotiated efforts successful nan Middle East, astir notably nan woody it brokered betwixt Saudi Arabia and Iran successful 2023 that led to nan restoration of negotiated relations betwixt nan 2 location rivals, underscore its continued desire to play a larger domiciled successful world affairs much generally.

Its caller efforts successful nan Israel-Palestine conflict are portion of this larger strategy to position Beijing arsenic nan leader and champion of nan Global South, a domiciled that it juxtaposes against a depiction of nan United States arsenic an imperial powerfulness fomenting conflict and warfare astir nan world. Taken together, they correspond a basal repositioning of China distant from nan pro-Western predisposition it adopted successful nan 1980s toward an anticipated bipolar world successful which China represents nan “non-West.”

China’s negotiated efforts are improbable to output immoderate important advancement aliases moreover alteration successful resolving nan Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both nan U.S. and Israel dismissed past month’s Beijing Declaration arsenic unworkable because nan statement included Hamas, which Israel and nan U.S. explanation a violent statement and cull from early activity of immoderate Palestinian entity. Andrew Scobell of nan U.S. Institute of Peace called nan meeting successful Beijing a “publicity stunt” that it is improbable to do overmuch to alteration nan guidance of nan warfare successful Gaza aliases nan bid that follows, if it ever comes.