8 August 2025 | 11:45 CAT
3-minute read

Netanyahu’s Gaza Strategy Draws Regional Pushback as US Policy Shifts

In short:

1. Israeli reoccupation of Gaza is likely to worsen the humanitarian crisis and create political instability, especially if Israel refuses responsibility for rebuilding.
2. The US under Trump has abandoned the two-state solution, creating a policy vacuum that emboldens Israel and alienates allies like Saudi Arabia and the EU.
3. Blaming Qatar for Hamas’s stance is part of a political strategy by Netanyahu’s camp to derail peace negotiations and appeal to Trump’s far-right supporters.

Israel’s plans to reoccupy parts of Gaza are drawing sharp rebukes from regional actors, international observers, and analysts who warn of further catastrophe. Speaking on Radio Islam International’s Middle East Report, award-winning journalist and scholar James M. Dorsey warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s approach risks deepening the crisis and sabotaging prospects for peace.

Dorsey, a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, provided insights into Israel’s reoccupation policy, the shifting posture of the United States under President Donald Trump, and attempts to vilify Qatar for its role in ceasefire negotiations.

According to Dorsey, the Israeli security cabinet recently approved the phased reoccupation of Gaza, starting with Gaza City. But this move, he argues, carries immense political and humanitarian consequences.

“This is going to be a recipe for further disaster,” said Dorsey. “Once Israel takes control… it is responsible for the provision of humanitarian aid [and] basic infrastructure that it has destroyed.”

The reoccupation signals not only a shift in military policy but also a strategic gamble. Netanyahu appears to be banking on a civilian administration—possibly an Arab-led coalition or the Palestinian Authority (PA)—to take over governance in Gaza. Yet both options face significant resistance. Arab states have stated clearly that any involvement in Gaza must be tied to the creation of an independent Palestinian state. Similarly, no Palestinian faction wants to risk being labelled collaborators.

Dorsey also noted a pivotal shift in American foreign policy under Donald Trump, who, in contrast to European and Arab positions, has shown dwindling interest in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“In the past week or 10 days, President Trump has basically retreated, at least temporarily, from an interest in trying to resolve the Middle East problems,” Dorsey explained.

The Trump administration has effectively reversed decades of US policy supporting a two-state solution. His ambassador to Israel recently stated that this is no longer a US objective, a move that isolates Washington from much of the international community, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and the European Union.

While countries like France, Spain, and Canada prepare to recognise a Palestinian state—recognition that Hamas has declared a victory—Dorsey cautioned that such developments are a response to Israel’s genocidal conduct in Gaza.

“The recognition of Palestine really is a product of Israel’s war conduct,” he said.

As the ceasefire negotiations stall, Netanyahu’s allies have turned their attention toward Qatar, accusing it of enabling Hamas. But Dorsey was quick to remind listeners of historical facts often left out of political rhetoric.

“It was Netanyahu who asked Qatar to fund the Hamas government in Gaza because it wanted to keep the Palestinian polity divided,” he noted.

Qatar has long hosted a Hamas political office and played a central role as a mediator in past ceasefire talks. Dorsey emphasised that vilifying Qatar now is part of a political strategy aimed at undermining negotiations and appealing to Trump’s far-right base.

Yair Netanyahu, the Prime Minister’s son, recently likened Qatar’s leaders and Hamas to Nazi figures—an incendiary comparison dismissed by observers as dangerous and unfounded.

Since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, over 38 000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Entire neighbourhoods have been reduced to rubble, over 1,9 million residents displaced, and famine looms amid Israel’s restrictions on aid.

A growing number of countries have shifted their stance on Palestinian statehood. Spain, Ireland, and Norway formally recognised Palestine earlier this year, citing Israel’s conduct in Gaza as a turning point. Arab states maintain that any long-term solution must include a viable, sovereign Palestinian state.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Junaid Kharsany.