Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
11 April 2025 | 12:00 CAT
2 min read

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s strategy to crush Palestinian resistance through the destruction of Hamas is “doomed to failure,” according to Middle East analyst James Dorsey. Eighteen months into Israel’s war on Gaza, Hamas remains active, and the human toll, alongside global condemnation, continues to mount.

“What we’ve seen, what the purpose was of the last eighteen months of Israel’s war against Gaza, in addition to retaliating for October, was really to crush the Palestinian resistance. If you look at the balance eighteen months later, Israel has failed,” Dorsey noted.

Despite the relentless military campaign, Hamas persists. This week, it launched 10 rockets at Israeli cities and towns, highlighting the continued operational capacity of the group. Dorsey pointed out that Hamas is importing or smuggling through Israeli Bedouins cheap off-the-shelf drones worth $40. “Hamas is paying top dollar… a million dollars per drone. In other words, they still have the funds to do so,” he said.

Israel’s belief that forcing the population of Gaza to flee might resolve the conflict also appears to be flawed. “That’s not going to solve the problem. The Strip is uninhabitable, but expelling people won’t end the resistance,” he said.

Netanyahu’s diplomatic efforts are also yielding little. His recent talks with former U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly ended in disappointment. “He got nothing! He wanted tariff relief. He didn’t get that. He wanted a blank check for the war in Gaza. He didn’t get that,” Dorsey said.

Trump’s position appears to favour a near-future ceasefire. According to Dorsey, Trump is set to visit the Gulf in mid-May, with major investment deals worth up to $2.4 trillion on the table from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Those deals are unlikely to come without conditions, and it’s doubtful that Netanyahu’s war in Gaza will be seen as worth jeopardising such massive economic interests. This may be the point at which Washington begins to apply real pressure for a ceasefire.

“Trump was really noncommittal in that sense—or emphasising an end to the war, or a ceasefire at least in the near future—in his talks with Netanyahu. Trump is scheduled to go in mid-May on his first overseas trip to the Gulf, primarily Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar. I would question whether Netanyahu, in Trump’s eyes, is worth $2.4 trillion. With other words, that’s the point-the latest point—at which the United States is going to have to start getting serious about the ceasefire in Gaza, which would involve pressure on Netanyahu,” he said.

Asked about Netanyahu’s intentions, Dorsey said, “I think he wants to prolong the war as long as he can… for personal and political reasons.” He added that the forced displacement of Gazans appears to be part of Netanyahu’s strategy: “Its 2.3 million inhabitants are now squeezed into 35% of the territory. That, I think, is Netanyahu’s goal,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hamas is taking an unprecedented legal step in Britain, seeking to overturn its terror designation. “What the case is about is whether the Palestinians, as a matter of principle… [can] declare military resistance to occupation as legitimate,” said Dorsey.

If successful, the case could shift international narratives and alter how the conflict is viewed in courts and capitals worldwide.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Dr James M. Dorsey, an Award-winning scholar & journalist, here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist, scholar, and Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute. He is the author of ‘The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer’.