Israel has decried a deal brokered by China for a "national reconciliation government" across Gaza and the West Bank involving rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas.
"Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement in China for joint control of Gaza after the war. Instead of rejecting terrorism, [Palestinian Authority leader] Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face," Katz said on social media.
Hamas and Fatah signed an agreement in China for joint control of Gaza after the war. Instead of rejecting terrorism, Mahmoud Abbas embraces the murderers and rapists of Hamas, revealing his true face. In reality, this won’t happen because Hamas's rule will be crushed, and Abbas… pic.twitter.com/JZMqeMqH5J
Israel has vowed to wipe out Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by the US, the EU, Germany and others.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the deal "won't happen because Hamas' rule will be crushed."
Palestinian groups, including Hamas, sign 'national unity' deal in Beijing
Various Palestinian factions agreed to form an "interim national reconciliation government" in post-war Gaza following a multi-day dialogue hosted by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.
Rivals Hamas — which runs Gaza — and Fatah — which runs the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank — along with 11 other groups, signed the historic deal that could potentially resolve the yearslong rift between the factions.
"Today we sign an agreement for national unity and we say that the path to completing this journey is national unity. We are committed to national unity and we call for it," Hamas official Musa Abu Marzuk said after the meeting.
Hamas has previously said, since the outbreak of the war, that it would seek a government of technocrats to pave the way for elections in both the West Bank and Gaza, with the eventual aim of setting up a Palestinian state.
Israel, which has been illegally occupying the West Bank for 57 years, according to the International Court of Justice, has repeatedly rejected the possibility of a Palestinian state, angering many of its backers in the process.
It also remains to be seen whether Israel would permit any government in Gaza that includes Hamas, something that it has ruled out in the past. Israel, like the US and Germany among others, designates Hamas as a terrorist organization.
China's role in the mediation efforts between the Palestinian groups also reflects Beijing's increasing attempts to counter US-led diplomacy on the international stage.
