China brokers Palestinian unity deal, but doubts persist

Palestinian rivals including Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a unity government at talks hosted by China, Beijing said on Tuesday, a deal meant to deliver a post-war Gaza administration but quickly rejected by Israel as it seeks to crush Hamas.

Analysts said the agreement would prove hard to implement, with complications including the deep enmity between Palestinian factions and Western opposition to Hamas having any role in governance. No timetable was declared for implementation.

The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of a reconciliation dialogue among 14 Palestinian factions held in China's capital from July 21-23, according to the readout.

The meeting marked the latest attempt to heal the Palestinian national schism that has defied all attempts at mediation since 2007, when the Islamist group Hamas seized the Gaza Strip in a brief civil war with Fatah.