In response to questions at the regular daily briefing in New York, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said António Guterres “very much welcomes the signing of the Beijing Declaration by the Palestinian factions”, adding that it was “an important step towards furthering Palestinian unity.”

Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007 when it forced Fatah out of the enclave after winning a majority of votes in an election the previous year. Fatah governs in the West Bank and previous attempts to end the faction fighting have proved elusive.

The Chinese-facilitated new accord known as the Beijing Declaration involved 14 different Palestinian groups, and a joint statement from Fatah and Hamas announcing the deal, as a prelude to a new unified government, reportedly provides no timetable or details on implementation.

Call for more dialogue

“The Secretary-General encourages all factions to overcome their differences through dialogue and urges them to follow up on the commitments that were made in Beijing and the Declaration they signed on to”, said Mr. Dujarric.

“We've seen this before, we've talked about it before, and I think all steps towards unity are to be welcomed and encouraged. Palestinian unity, as we've said many a time, is crucial for peace and security and for advancing the aspirations of the Palestinian people for self-determination and for a fully independent, democratic, contiguous, viable and sovereign Palestinian State”, he added.

Mr. Guterres expressed his appreciation for the diplomatic efforts being made by China “as well as efforts of other countries involved in facilitating the process.”

Two States

The UN is committed to working towards a comprehensive two-State solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict with secure, recognized borders on the basis of pre-1967 lines which would have Jerusalem as the capital of both States, in line with UN resolutions and international law.

The United States and other Western nations have refused to recognize any Palestinian Government that includes Hamas representatives without express recognition of the State of Israel. The US, United Kingdom and others, officially list Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas as its central war aim in Gaza and has up to now, indicated that it will not relinquish control of the enclave or allow the current Palestinian Authority to become the governing power there.