As Israel’s war on Gaza drags into its 20th month, its strategy appears to be unraveling under the weight of regional backlash, internal division, and unprecedented global condemnation.
In a landmark livestream discussion hosted by journalist Danny Haiphong, panelists Professor Mohammad Marandi, activist-rapper Lowkey, and Electronic Intifada editor Ali Abunimah exposed the growing scope of Israeli covert operations, the resilience of resistance forces from Gaza to Yemen, and the deepening disapproval of Israel across world populations—including in countries once considered staunch allies.
What emerged was a damning portrait of an increasingly desperate Israeli state, reliant not only on U.S. military and diplomatic support but on Arab and Western regimes enabling the genocide through finance, trade, surveillance technology, and political cover. Yet despite these alliances, the resistance across the region—and among global civil society—is holding and growing stronger.
Netanyahu Admits to Supporting Armed Gangs in Gaza
One of the most explosive revelations came not from a leak but directly from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who publicly admitted that Israel has been arming rival Palestinian clans in Gaza to counter Hamas. “We activated clans in Gaza that oppose Hamas—what’s wrong with that?” he said. “This is only good and saves the lives of IDF soldiers.”
For Lowkey, this admission confirmed what many in the region have long suspected: Israel is funding organized armed criminal factions to destabilize Palestinian resistance from within. “This is not a new strategy. Israel has funded factions like Jabhat al-Nusra in Syria, and now it’s doing the same in Gaza—propping up gangs like Abu Shabab’s militia, some of which bear disturbing ideological similarities to ISIS,” he said.
Abunimah added, “The issue is not whether these groups are ideologically ISIS. The point is they are Israeli assets. Israel has always relied on local collaborators—from the South Lebanon Army to the Village Leagues in the West Bank—to wage proxy war against genuine resistance.”
Manufactured Chaos and Failed Objectives
This strategy of fueling internal conflict, the panel agreed, is an act of desperation. Israel has failed to defeat Hamas militarily, even after leveling nearly all of Gaza’s critical infrastructure, killing tens of thousands, and displacing over two million Palestinians. Daily reports from Gaza confirm that the resistance continues to engage Israeli forces in Jabalia, Khan Younis, and Rafah, inflicting heavy losses.
Professor Marandi emphasized, “Despite the slaughter, starvation, and relentless bombings, the resistance remains intact. The people of Gaza—whether they support Hamas politically or not—know who their real enemy is. They haven’t turned against the resistance. They’ve endured.”
Meanwhile, the chaos that Israel has tried to sow with proxy militias and “humanitarian traps” has only hardened Gaza’s resilience. Reports have emerged that so-called aid distribution sites operated with Israeli intelligence involvement were used to lure Palestinians before bombing them en masse.
“These aid sites are not relief—they’re ambush zones,” said Lowkey. “They are disappearing people, starving them, and forcing them to collaborate under duress. It’s psychological warfare and extermination rolled into one.”
Yemen and the Red Sea: Strategic Shock for the U.S. and Israel
The panel pointed to Yemen as a major front where Israel and its U.S. backers have suffered strategic humiliation. According to a Wall Street Journal report cited by Haiphong, Ansar Allah engaged the U.S. Navy in the Red Sea in the fiercest maritime combat it has seen since World War II, prompting $1.5 billion worth of munitions to be fired at Yemeni forces—without achieving a single strategic objective.
“Yemen shut down shipping in the Red Sea,” said Marandi. “They forced the U.S. to abandon a campaign it could not win. It was the most humiliating defeat for Washington since Vietnam.”
Lowkey added, “When a country under blockade and bombardment is launching hypersonic missiles at Israeli airports, you’re looking at a strategic realignment. Yemen has transformed the maritime battlefield.”
Turkey’s Double Game: Prayers for Gaza, Profits for Israel
One of the sharpest criticisms in the discussion was directed at Turkey, whose government has portrayed itself as pro-Palestinian while continuing extensive trade and military collaboration with Israel during the genocide.
“Erdogan says prayers for Gaza, but his regime profits off the slaughter,” said Lowkey.
According to investigative reporting by Turkish journalist Metin Cihan, companies tied to Erdogan’s son Burak Erdoğan have been exporting vast quantities of fuel, textiles, and even military hardware to Israel during the war. Using data from the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Cihan revealed that between October and December 2024, over 400 ships carried more than 4 million tons of goods from Turkey to Israeli ports—while Palestinians in Gaza were being starved and bombed.
The goods included jet fuel used by the Israeli Air Force, military-grade components, and clothing and gear for IDF soldiers. Despite public outrage, the Turkish government has not only failed to halt this trade—it has actively enabled it.
“There is an Israeli surveillance firm—Third Eye Systems—that operates around Gaza for target acquisition. A 30% stake in this company is owned by the EDGE Group, which is in turn partially owned by Turkish and Emirati state-linked investors,” said Lowkey.
Furthermore, he noted that Zulu Holding, a company owned by Erdogan’s close associate Ahmet Zorlu, is the second-largest shareholder in DAD Energy, an Israeli firm that powers IDF military bases.
“This isn’t passive complicity,” Lowkey warned. “This is economic collaboration in genocide. Turkey is literally helping keep the Israeli war machine running, while Erdogan delivers Friday sermons about Palestine.”
Even as Erdogan claims to support the Palestinian cause, Turkish intelligence and logistics systems have been integrated with Israeli-aligned networks. Meanwhile, Turkish authorities have arrested domestic critics of these policies, including those exposing ties between Erdogan’s family and pro-Israel business interests.
“This is betrayal on a grand scale,” said Marandi. “It’s not just Erdogan. The Gulf regimes, Egypt, and Jordan are all complicit. They are supplying, funding, or shielding Israel in various ways while posturing as defenders of Palestine.”
Western Governments: Silent Partners in Genocide
The complicity extends to the West, where governments have continued to provide arms and diplomatic cover to Israel despite overwhelming public opposition. “Britain, Germany, and France talk about ceasefires at the UN but do nothing to stop weapons transfers,” said Marandi.
Lowkey noted the growing integration of Israeli surveillance and military technology into Western infrastructure. “The UK police are now deploying Sandcat armored vehicles tested on Palestinians in Gaza. British police hack phones with Israeli tech. The British state trains Palestinian Authority security forces to suppress resistance—but won’t let them train with sniper rifles, lest those rifles be turned on Israel.”
According to Abunimah, the Israeli regime’s power relies on this global scaffolding: “Zionism is upheld by networks of intelligence sharing, arms contracts, media manipulation, and corporate complicity. But all of it is breaking down.”
Global Opinion Shifts: Israel Has Lost the World
A recent Pew Research Center survey, reviewed by Abunimah, confirms that Israel has become one of the most reviled states on Earth. “In 20 out of 24 countries surveyed, a majority of the population views Israel unfavorably. Even in traditionally pro-Israel countries like Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, support has collapsed,” he said.
The most dramatic shift has occurred in the United States, where—for the first time—a majority of Americans now view Israel unfavorably. Among young Americans and progressives, support for the Palestinian cause is overwhelming.
“The Israeli lobby used to own the conversation in Washington,” said Abunimah. “Now they’re losing college campuses, TikTok, independent media—so they resort to repression. Arresting students. Shutting down encampments. Banning journalists. It’s panic mode.”
Lowkey emphasized that even right-wing figures once seen as allies of Israel—like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens—have begun questioning U.S. support for Israeli war crimes. “This is unprecedented. Zionism has never been so naked—and so widely rejected.”
Netanyahu’s Gambit: Strengthening Resistance While Weakening Israel
Ironically, Netanyahu’s short-term moves to prolong the war may be undermining Israel’s long-term viability. “His strategy of total destruction, ethnic cleansing, and chaos is not working. It’s backfiring,” said Marandi.
The panel agreed that while the genocide in Gaza continues, Israel has failed to achieve any of its stated objectives. It has not eliminated Hamas. It does not control Gaza. It is diplomatically isolated and militarily stretched thin—across Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria.
“Even if Netanyahu is ousted tomorrow, the regime that replaces him will be weaker, more fragile, and more exposed,” said Marandi. “Zionism has exhausted its credibility. The tide is turning.”
Conclusion: A Global Resistance Awakens
Despite the horrific scale of destruction, the panelists found reason for hope—not in governments, but in people. “Just as apartheid South Africa fell, Zionism is now collapsing under the weight of its contradictions,” said Abunimah. “Justice is winning. Humanity is winning. It’s time to keep pushing.”
Lowkey concluded with a call for clarity: “Every resistance movement—from Gaza to Yemen to Syria—has been far more compliant with international humanitarian law than Israel or its allies. It is not resistance that has brought shame to the world—it is the complicity of those who claim moral authority while enabling genocide.”
And as Professor Marandi said in closing: “This is a dark time, but it is also the beginning of something. The old world order is collapsing. The resistance is rising. And the people of the world are waking up.”