31 October 2025 | 09:51 CAT
3-minute read

Trump’s New Middle East Strategy Strengthens Hamas and Exposes Israel’s Isolation, Says Scholar James Dorsey

US President Donald Trump’s new approach to Israel and Palestine has begun to unsettle decades of American support for Israeli impunity — a move that could, according to award-winning scholar James M. Dorsey, open space for a more balanced political reality in the region.

In an interview on Radio Islam International, Dorsey, a senior fellow at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, explained how Trump’s 20-point plan — though controversial — marks the first time in years that Washington has signalled to Israel that it cannot dictate every term of the conflict.

“Trump is not just shifting policy — he is signalling that the traditional parameters of what Israel can do in the West Bank and in Gaza are changing.”

Dorsey noted that Trump’s administration has told Israel to hold off on formal annexation of the West Bank and to accept a non-partisan Palestinian administration in Gaza — something Tel Aviv has long resisted. This unprecedented move hints at a slow erosion of Israel’s unchecked dominance in regional politics, as even its closest ally begins to question its actions.

Analysts have long asserted that Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories has persisted largely due to American protection at the United Nations and vast financial and military aid. In 2023 alone, Washington allocated $3,8 billion in military assistance to Israel — funds that rights groups have shown perpetuate the siege on Gaza and the expansion of illegal settlements.

But now, Trump’s posture is creating friction within Israel’s own political ranks. Dorsey highlighted that the World Zionist Congress, meeting in Jerusalem, passed a resolution rejecting Israeli resettlement of Gaza — a symbolic but telling rebuke of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right agenda. It also pledged financial support for Israeli human-rights groups should parliament move to strip them of foreign funding. This internal dissent underscores a growing divide between Israel and many within the global Jewish community who oppose the occupation’s brutality.

“If the United States is insisting that Israel accept a post-war governance structure in Gaza that it doesn’t want, then the balance of power in the US-Israeli relationship is shifting.”

At the same time, Palestinian public opinion appears to be recalibrating. Years of bombardment, siege, and mass displacement have reshaped attitudes in Gaza. Dorsey cited new polling that shows Hamas gaining renewed popular support, with one-third of Gazans expressing backing for the group and nearly 60 percent endorsing its conduct in the war. Hamas is known as a resistance struggle against occupation and apartheid—not just in Palestine.

“The fact that Hamas now has much stronger public support gives it leverage in any deal over disarmament or governance of Gaza.”

This surge in support coincides with a global shift in perception. Across Europe, Latin America, and Africa, governments and civil societies are increasingly condemning Israel’s attacks on civilians and demanding an end to the blockade on Gaza. In South Africa, the government has been one of the strongest voices for Palestinian liberation, referring Israel to the International Court of Justice for genocide and calling for sanctions.

Dorsey also addressed how Saudi Arabia’s latest appointments signal uncertainty within the kingdom. The new Grand Mufti, Sheikh Salah bin Abdullah bin Fawzan, represents the old guard of conservative clerics and may slow the Crown Prince’s attempts to align more closely with Israel. Riyadh has already declared that normalisation will not occur without a credible path toward Palestinian statehood — a position that stands in direct contrast to Trump’s earlier “Abraham Accords” framework.

The implications of these developments are far-reaching. If Washington’s tone continues to shift, it could embolden calls for justice and accountability long stifled by Western double standards. For Palestinians who have endured generations of siege, displacement, and collective punishment, even a modest policy correction signals the possibility of international acknowledgment — and perhaps, eventually, freedom.

Still, Dorsey cautioned that Trump’s unpredictability may undermine sustained change. The question, he said, is whether the United States has “the stamina to see the process through” — and whether Israel will allow any external power to constrain its actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

In the meantime, the growing global solidarity movement — from campus protests to trade-union boycotts — reflects an unmistakable shift in moral clarity. As Dorsey’s analysis makes clear, the ground beneath Israel’s occupation is no longer as solid as it once was.

Watch the Middle East Report on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Ibrahim Daya.