Qatar has welcomed the signing of the “Beijing Declaration” by Palestinian factions earlier this week to achieve reconciliation and strengthen unity against Israeli “violations” in all the occupied territory.

Qatar’s foreign ministry said in a statement it considers the agreement “an important step towards national unity and the consolidation of the national project to establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital”.

The Beijing Declaration was signed at the closing ceremony of the 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.

The meeting was held amid attempts by mediators to reach a ceasefire deal after nine months of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. One of the sticking points is the “day-after” plan – how the Hamas-run enclave will be governed once the war, which began on Oct. 7, ends.

Hamas welcomed the declaration, saying it created a “barrier against all regional and international interventions that seek to impose realities against our people’s interests”.