LONDON, June 5. /TASS/. Representatives of the rival Palestinian groups Hamas and Fatah plan to hold another round of consultations in mid-June in Beijing to normalize relations and discuss post-conflict governance in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, citing sources.

According to their information, during the talks, Fatah will insist that Hamas recognize the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) as the sole legitimate representative of Palestinians and commit to honoring the agreements signed by this organization. In return, Hamas hopes that Fatah will agree to create a new Palestinian administration in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Hamas leadership understands that its representatives will not be able to join the new internationally recognized government even after the end of the armed conflict in Gaza, added one of the agency's sources.

Previously, representatives of Hamas and Fatah held talks in Moscow and Beijing, expressing the will to seek reconciliation and achieve Palestinian unity. However, according to Reuters’ sources, the chances for successful consultations between Hamas and Fatah remain low due to fundamentally different positions on negotiations with Israel, whose existence Hamas refuses to recognize.

Following the Oslo Accords in the 1990s, mutual recognition between the PLO and Israel was achieved. According to the signed documents, self-governance was introduced in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, including the establishment of the Palestinian Authority as the highest governing body and the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) endowed with parliamentary powers.

On January 25, 2006, elections to the PLC saw Hamas representatives, not part of the PLO, winning the majority of seats. In 2007, a conflict arose among Palestinian organizations, with Hamas militants seizing power in the Gaza Strip by force. Since then, Palestine has been divided into two parts: Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, while the West Bank is controlled by the PLO led by Fatah (the largest organization within the PLO). Elections to the PLC have been repeatedly postponed.

The situation in the Middle East sharply escalated after Hamas militants infiltrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip on October 7, 2023, leading to killings of residents in border settlements and hostage-taking. Israel began retaliatory strikes on the Palestinian enclave and specific areas in Lebanon and Syria. On December 1, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating the ceasefire that had been in effect since November 24 and announced the resumption of military operations in Gaza. Palestinian officials blamed the United States for the resurgence of Israeli aggression.