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Media Outlet Whitewashes PA-Hamas Agreement, Ignores Possible True Path to Peace in the Middle East
Mahmoud al-Aloul, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of Palestinian organization and political party Fatah, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and Mussa Abu Marzuk, senior member of the Palestinian terror movement Hamas, attend an event at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 23, 2024. Photo: Pedro Pardo/Pool via REUTERS
Two events took place recently that relate to post-war Gaza governance.
One was that China said it had brokered a deal between Hamas and Fatah, in what was described as a declaration to form an interim “national reconciliation government” for the West Bank and Gaza after the war.
The announcement of the declaration came following several days of talks in Beijing, and was presented to the media by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi, Fatah representative Mahmoud al-Aloul, and Hamas representative Mussa Abu Marzuk.
Although described as a “unity” agreement, there have been numerous failed attempts at reconciliation between the rival factions since Hamas won the 2006 Palestinian elections. After those elections — the last time Palestinians held elections — the factions fought a bloody internecine war, resulting in Hamas expelling Fatah from Gaza.
The other event was Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s well-publicized trip to Washington, which included a speech to Congress in which he vowed to fight for a total victory over Hamas, and reminded lawmakers of their shared interest in defeating Hamas and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups.
Behind the scenes and in the lead-up to Netanyahu’s US visit, another set of talks were taking place far away from China and well away from the presence of either Hamas or Fatah.
Last week, UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan hosted a trilateral meeting in Abu Dhabi attended by Israeli Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, who is one of Netanyahu’s closest advisers, and Brett McGurk, the director of Middle East policy for US President Joe Biden’s National Security Council.
The topic of discussion was reportedly a “reformed” Palestinian Authority governing Gaza after the war, as well as inviting a contingent of international forces that would enter Gaza to help ease the humanitarian situation, establish law and order, and facilitate the transition to proper governance.
While Netanyahu has previously rejected the possibility of a future Gaza under the rule of the Palestinian Authority, the prospect of a reformed PA that is led by a “new prime minister who is empowered and independent” as well as the United States taking a key role in any “day-after” initiative could be an incentive.
In short, the Abu Dhabi talks could realistically pave the way for a post-war Gaza solution that excludes both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority in its current form.
Naive CNN Hints at Major Step Forward
Most media outlets recognized the China meeting for what it was — a carefully curated spectacle of togetherness that will, in all likelihood, amount to nothing.
The New York Times described an actual agreement between Fatah and Hamas to form a unified government as a “high bar to clear for two factions that have long been vehemently, sometimes violently, opposed.”
It also quoted a Palestinian analyst’s view that “what happened in China isn’t significant” and a Gazan civilian branding the agreement “statements [that] aren’t worth the ink needed to write them.”
The BBC quoted an expert on Chinese affairs with the Middle East, who branded China “not a serious actor on this issue,” while mentioning that all other reconciliation attempts had failed.
Reuters published the view of Ashraf Abouelhoul, a specialist on Palestinian affairs and managing editor of the Egyptian state-owned paper Al-Ahram, who noted similar declarations had failed and dismissed any potential suggestion the meeting was a “celebratory event,” saying it is “impossible to resolve the problems between Palestinian factions in just three days.”
CNN, however, viewed the China meeting differently, dedicating 14 paragraphs to what it described as a “common front against occupation,” suggesting it would lead to a Fatah-Hamas partnership.
It is only after Barghouti’s extensive comments, and halfway through the article, that CNN includes the opinion of an analyst who echoes the prevailing sentiment: it will amount to nothing.
While CNN was overemphasizing the significance of the China talks, nearly every other media outlet missed the importance of quieter negotiations between Israel, the US and the UAE that might realistically lead to peace and security for Palestinians.
The media needs to move past focusing on Hamas and Fatah when discussing a post-war Gaza: it’s not going to happen.
HonestReporting is a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
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French Official Tells Paper Arab Countries Will Condemn Hamas, Trying to Get Palestinian Statehood Recognized
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot speaks to the media on the day he attends the European Union Foreign Ministers council in Brussels, Belgium, July 15, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman
Arab countries will for the first time condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament early next week at a United Nations ministerial event in New York, a move meant to lure more European countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, France’s foreign minister said on Saturday.
In an exclusive interview with French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said the move was part of a long-planned initiative between France and Saudi Arabia.
“For the first time, Arab countries will condemn Hamas and call for its disarmament, which will seal its definitive isolation. European countries will in turn confirm their intention to recognize the State of Palestine. Half of European countries have done so, all others are considering it,” Barrot told the JDD.
“The British Prime Minister has stated his intention to do so. Germany is considering it at a later stage. We will launch an appeal in New York for other countries to join us in order to set in motion an even more ambitious and demanding process that will culminate on September 21,” Barrot added.
On Thursday French President Emmanuel Macron announced France would formally recognize the state of Palestine at the U.N. General Assembly on September 21, drawing condemnation from the U.S. and Israel.
Earlier on Saturday Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni called it counterproductive to recognize a Palestinian state before it is established.
On Friday a German government spokesperson said there were no plans to recognize a Palestinian state in the short term.
At the upcoming United Nations event on Monday and Tuesday, France and Saudi Arabia plan to lay out a proposed post-war roadmap leading to a two-state solution covering security, reconstruction and governance, which will be compatible with the Abraham Accords negotiated by US President Trump, Barrot said.
The French minister added that in coming weeks the European Commission would take a tougher stance on Israel and demand a stop on building of any new settlement projects in the West Bank, and also an end to militarized policing of humanitarian aid distribution.
Barrot also called on fellow European countries to demand a removal of the financial blockade on the Palestinian authority so it can receive 2 billion euros he said it is owed.
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Jordan and UAE Drop Aid Into Gaza in First Airdrop in Months, Jordanian Source Says
An airplane drops humanitarian aid over Gaza as seen from northern Gaza Strip July 27, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates parachuted 25 tons of aid into the Gaza Strip on Sunday in their first airdrop in months, a Jordanian official source said.
The official said the air drops were not a substitute for delivery by land.
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Trump Says Israel Will Have to Decide on Next Steps in Gaza, Pledges More Aid
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 8, 2025. Photo: Kevin Lamarque via Reuters Connect.
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday Israel would have to make a decision on next steps in Gaza, adding that he did not know what would happen after the collapse of ceasefire and hostage-release negotiations with the Hamas terrorist group.
Trump underscored the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, saying they had suddenly “hardened” up on the issue, and said the US would provide more aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
“They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision,” Trump told reporters at the start of a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf property in Turnberry, Scotland.
“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision,” he said, while also claiming, without evidence, that Hamas members were stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.
Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both appeared on Friday to abandon Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, saying it had become clear that the Palestinian group did not want a deal.
Netanyahu said Israel was now mulling “alternative” options to achieve its goals of bringing its hostages home from Gaza and ending Hamas rule in the enclave.
Trump said he believed Hamas leaders would now be “hunted down,” telling reporters: “Hamas really didn’t want to make a deal. I think they want to die. And it’s very bad. And it got to be to a point where you’re going to have to finish the job.”
US TO PROVIDE MORE AID, TRUMP SAYS
Trump on Sunday said the US would provide more humanitarian aid to Gaza, where concerns are mounting about the worsening hunger, but wanted other countries to participate as well. He said he would discuss the issue with von der Leyen.
“We’re giving a lot of money, a lot of food, a lot of everything,” he said. “If we weren’t there, I think people would have starved, frankly. They would have starved, and it’s not like they’re eating well.”
He said he had spoken with Netanyahu and discussed a number of issues, including Iran. He said and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer would also discuss Israel when they meet at Trump’s golf property in Turnberry on Monday.
Trump also noted said the United States was not acknowledged for earlier food aid for Gaza.
“No other country gave anything,” he said, calling out European countries in particular. “It makes you feel a little bad when you do that and, you know, you have other countries not giving anything… Nobody gave but us. And nobody said, Gee, thank you very much. And it would be nice to have at least a thank you.”
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