Guterres welcomes agreement between Palestinian factions to form unity government

Jul 23. (EUROPA PRESS) –

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres welcomed on Tuesday the signing of an agreement by around 15 Palestinian factions, including Fatah and the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), to end their divisions and form a unity government.

“The Secretary-General encourages all factions to overcome their differences through dialogue and urges them to follow up on the commitments made in Beijing,” said the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, at a press conference.

In this regard, he reiterated that “all steps towards unity must be welcomed and encouraged.” “Palestinian unity is crucial for peace and security and for promoting the Palestinian people’s aspirations for self-determination,” he added.

He also welcomed the efforts of China and other countries involved to facilitate the agreement. “We remain committed to working with the parties to achieve a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, based on the vision of two states,” he concluded.

According to information collected by the Chinese news agency Xinhua, the document was signed during a ceremony in Beijing after two days of meetings aimed at ending their divisions and strengthening their unity.

The signatories expressed their desire to establish a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, reject attempts to displace the population from their territories and condemn the settlements built by Israel in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, which are contrary to international law.

They also called for an end to the blockade of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and the delivery of humanitarian aid, while thanking China for its support in hosting the meetings, before calling for an international conference to implement the UN resolutions relating to the conflict.