Imagine Israel invading the Gaza Strip again, causing the usual massacres, ruin and devastation. Imagine tens of thousands of civilians fleeing for their lives after losing what little they had. The buildings collapse like houses of paper, but Israel proceeds as if nothing had happened: the pilots bomb, the tanks advance, the media and the Israeli population cheer.
But suddenly the international community makes a decision: if Israel does not withdraw immediately, it will face sanctions. If the Gaza Strip does not become a no-fly zone, the planes to and from Israel will remain on the ground. Israel ignores the warning and, as always, justifies itself by speaking of self-defense, terrorism and the holocaust. At that point, the new definitive weapon is triggered: to exclude Israel from the international system of bank payments and from the one with which the banks communicate them. Israel is left without the Swift. After all, what applies to the country that invaded Ukraine should also apply to the invader of the Gaza Strip.
Without the Swift, Israel would implode instantly. Perhaps the tyrannical Russian giant can hold out for a while, but not Israel. Within a few days the lords of the economy would present themselves from the political and military top with a clear message: stop. So we can’t go on. More or less what happened in South Africa in the days of apartheid when the entrepreneurs said to the white government: stop. At that point it would remain to be understood how many days the Israeli military would continue to destroy Gaza. A day? Two days? A week? But eventually the soldiers would withdraw, the siege would end and Gaza would finally be free, for the first time in years. All with a “swipe” of Swift.
New world order
Until three weeks ago such a scenario would have been unthinkable, but perhaps a new world order is taking shape, in which every attack against the defenseless, every attempt at conquest, the international community will respond with punitive economic and political measures. To convince an uncompromising country like Israel, tanks are useless. Just close the ATMs at Tel Aviv International Airport. Israelis would never agree to pay out of their own pockets for campaigns of destruction in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria or the occupied West Bank.
It is undeniable that Israel cannot withstand such pressure: it would not. The indifference of Israelis to the actions of their country and their army would immediately give way to worry and fear for their money. Even the most staunch patriots and the most inveterate warmongers would immediately change their minds. But the question is another: would the international community ever make such a decision? Punishing Russia is not a problem, but Israel? The pupil of the West? Who would she dare? The words “Israel” and “sanctions” have never been juxtaposed and so far no one has remotely imagined punishing his arrogant contempt for resolutions passed by international organizations. But perhaps, after Ukraine, something has changed. Maybe after having punished Russia, Israel can no longer forgive everything. Maybe the world is awakening.
In a country where even the war in Ukraine is seen as a bargain and an opportunity for Zionism (Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked spoke of the possibility of selling more weapons abroad while MP Zvi Hauser would like to bring Jews into the country Ukrainians) the population may suddenly open their eyes and realize the reality. The war in Ukraine has given the world an opportunity not to remain silent anymore. Compared to Russia, but also to Israel.
Will Israelis be willing to pay out of their own pockets for illegal outposts like Evyatar, which most Israelis have never seen and will never see? Will they continue to cheer the Air Force after each bombing, knowing that each crime will be punished? In the new and unknown global reality, everything is possible. Perhaps, when the guns go quiet, everything will be as it was before, with Israel behaving as it thinks and ignores the world. But maybe something will change. New voices are already being heard in Washington. These voices could become louder when the war is over, and maybe the world will finally be able to make its voice heard, acting not only against Russia but also against the most pampered state in the world, which is all allowed.
One shot at the Swift, and the occupation will be over.
(Translation by Andrea Sparacino)