Hamas at a Crossroads: Are Weapons More Important Than Gaza Belonging to the Palestinians?

The Haaretz newspaper, published in Tel Aviv, has reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced his intention to permanently annex parts of Gaza to Israel if Hamas refuses to agree to a ceasefire. According to him, this plan has the support of the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump

The annexation of parts of Gaza is to continue as long as Hamas refuses a ceasefire – or until the entire area has become part of Israel. However, according to Haaretz, which is known for its left-wing and socially liberal stance, Netanyahu’s plan would only lead to more Western countries recognizing the State of Palestine – something France has already announced it is considering. Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s government aims to pressure Hamas into abandoning its armed resistance.

From here in Finland, it is interesting to observe how the situation unfolds. Will Hamas – and its leadership – acknowledge that it has reached a dead end, or will it continue armed resistance, thereby placing the entire population of Gaza in a situation where they permanently lose their homes?

It also remains to be seen what France and its president, Emmanuel Macron, will do if Hamas refuses to lay down its arms and recognize Israel – conditions he has previously stated are prerequisites for recognition. Or will the potential annexation of Gaza areas lead him to forgo even these conditions before recognizing Palestine?

More broadly, I find the entire recognition debate absurd. After all, Palestine does not exist as a state, so its recognition would change the very definition of an independent state. It would therefore be more of a disingenuous political gesture than a serious acknowledgment of a state-level reality.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Hamas Continues the Suffering of Gaza's Civilians
A Night at the Opera
When Demands Become Damage

The Need for Asylum Among Syrians Disappeared with the Regime Change

The power transition in Syria reportedly occurred partly with the help provided by Ukraine. According to available information, Ukraine had sent in advance 20 drone operators and 150 FPV drones to the rebel organization that took power.

If and when this information proves to be accurate, it highlights the vastly different scale of warfare in Ukraine compared to Syria. In Ukraine, 150 drones have almost no significant impact on the overall course of the war.

From the perspective of Western countries, one of the biggest questions regarding Syria's regime change concerns refugees. After all, they have primarily fled either Assad's regime or the ISIS caliphate, neither of which now plays a significant role in Syria.

For this reason, Finland and many other countries have already suspended the processing of asylum applications from Syrians, as it is apparent that those who fled Assad's regime or ISIS and came here no longer require asylum. Logically, this should mean that even those previously granted asylum would be returned to their country of origin.

Denmark has already promised a €20,000 package for Syrians who return to their homeland. This is logical, as Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen does not want even a single asylum seeker in her country.

On the other hand, Turkey’s three million Syrians have not needed to be incentivized to return to their homeland; even too many of them have already rushed to the border. It remains to be seen whether the rest will follow in the near future.

This, in turn, depends on what kind of role Syria’s new administration takes. Will it adopt a constructive role and unite the nation, or will it prove too weak to prevent rebellions by other factions operating in Syria? Naturally, our hope in the West is for the Syrian people to unify and for the state to develop into a functioning human rights state and democracy.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
On the Consequences of Russian Inability in Syria
Revolution in Syria: What Comes Next?
The Futile Civil War in Syria

Why Can't Finland Find Workforce?

In Finland, there is a battery factory where people from over 60 different countries work. This is not due to a labor shortage or low wages.

Instead, the reason lies in the Finnish unemployment and social security systems, whose high level provides the unemployed with a relatively comfortable life, so they do not need to leave their hometown even when they become unemployed. As a result, Finnish companies have to seek staff from around the world.

This is a problem whose root cause is the oversized socialist thinking that has entrenched itself in Finnish society, where the society aims to absorb all setbacks related to individuals' lives. The result is simultaneous unemployment and labor shortages.

Indirectly, this also means that Finns are not very eager to start businesses. It would require taking risks, and in addition, the unemployment compensation following a potential failure would be almost nonexistent compared to a salaried worker. Therefore, only a few are willing to start new companies.

The current right-wing government led by Petteri Orpo (National Coalition Party) has promised in its program to "implement a wide range of reforms to improve incentives to work, simplify the social security system, facilitate employment and provision of work, develop international recruitment, increase local bargaining in the labour market, improve wellbeing at work and the integration of work and family, and continue the reform of employment services."

It remains to be seen whether they will succeed in their goal. However, it is already clear at this stage that the reforms are opposed by both the left-wing opposition and the trade union movement. This was already seen in the winter when unions tried to prevent the government from taking the first measures aimed at improving the efficiency of Finnish working life with a wide wave of strikes.

It is to be hoped, therefore, that the government will succeed in implementing the rest of its plans, and that Finnish companies will be able to get domestic labor if they wish. This does not mean that employees cannot be hired from abroad, but rather that society would not have to simultaneously support able-bodied but unwilling people elsewhere.

Previous thoughts on the same topic:
The change in the demographic structure of Helsinki
History of Finland VIII: Joining of Finland to Russia led to an increase in crime
A nurse´s question: who deserves health care, and who does not