Agrégateur de flux

La réforme de la Protection sociale complémentaire santé pour les militaires, qui entrera en vigueur le 1er janvier 2025 prévoit une protection santé universelle pour l’ensemble des 340 000 militaires du ministère des armées (240 000 militaires) et du ministère de l’intérieur (100 000 gendarmes). Les assureurs retenus, Uneo (avec GMF) pour les militaires et […]

A cég 178,88 millió forint összköltségű projektje során kunmadarasi fióktelepének technológiai korszerűsítése valósult meg. A CornMill Hungary Kft. a beruházáshoz a Széchenyi Terv Plusz program pályázati felhívásán 125,22 millió forint feltételesen vissza nem térítendő európai uniós támogatást nyert el.

A CornMill Hungary Kft. kukorica feldolgozással, mezőgazdasági termékek, termények nagykereskedelmével foglalkozó, dinamikusan fejlődő, több, mint 30 éves vállalkozás, amely tevékenységét a nagyigmándi székhelyén, és fióktelepén, Kunmadarason végzi. A cég a projektben csomagolási, kereskedelmi, disztribúciós tevékenységének fejlesztését a kunmadarasi telephelyén valósította meg, ahol többek között a csomagolási, raktározási, kiszállítási folyamatok zajlanak.

A vállalkozáshoz az elmúlt időszakban egyre több olyan megkeresés érkezett, ami külső cég által behozott csomagolandó áruk lecsomagolását, zsákolását igényelte. A csomagolás bármilyen szemes, darabos termékre vonatkozhat – nem csak mezőgazdasági terményre –, melyet zsákos csomagolásban lehet szállítani, értékesíteni, ilyen lehet pl. a fapellet, a műtrágya, vagy a műanyag-granulátum is.

Jelen fejlesztési projekt célja a Társaság csomagolási tevékenységének fejlesztése volt bércsomagolás formájában. Ennek keretében a hatékony anyagmozgatás érdekében 2 db homlokrakodó, 1 db zsáktöltő gép beszerzése, továbbá megújuló energiát jelentő 10 kWp teljesítményű napelemes rendszer beszerzése és üzembe helyezése történt az energiaköltségek csökkentése érdekében. A projekt része volt továbbá informatikai képzés, valamint szervezet-, folyamat és menedzsment tanácsadás is a cég és a projekt hosszú távú sikeres működése érdekében.

A beszerzett eszközök használatával, valamint a kibővülő raktározási kapacitásaiknak köszönhetően raktárkészletük anyagmozgatási tevékenysége, és a hozzá kapcsolódó külső megrendelések alapján érkezett áruk csomagolási feladatainak elvégzése is hatékonyabbá vált, melynek révén a logisztikai folyamatok felgyorsulnak, és a kereskedelmi tevékenységük volumene is javul.

A fejlesztés eredménye, hogy rövidebb határidőkkel, és nagyobb kapacitással tudják végezni a bércsomagolási tevékenységüket, így a beruházást követően piaci pozíciójuk erősödésével, és új vevők megszerzésével is számolnak, ezáltal a cég fenntartható működése válik biztosítottá, melynek eredményeként a foglalkoztatotti létszám hosszú távú megtartása is megvalósul.

A Széchenyi Terv Plusz program GINOP_PLUSZ-1.2.3-21 számú pályázati kiírásán 125 216 826 forint támogatást elnyert, 178 881 180 forint összköltségvetésű fejlesztés 2022. május 1-én indult és 2024. április 30-án zárult.

Podcastunkban ma ott vesszük fel a fonalat, ahol a 81. adásban letettük. Vendégünk ezúttal is a Spacejunkie nevű, űrutazással és űrkutatással foglalkozó, magyar nyelvű Youtube-csatorna egyik alapítója és szerkesztője, Nagy Szabolcs, aki a szereplés mellett ismét vállalta, hogy ajánlót is készít a mai adáshoz a For All Mankind c. nagy sikerű sorozat 4. évadáról. Ismét csatlakozott hozzánk továbbá a Hadak útján c. egykori hadtörténelmi rádióműsor vezetője, Salvaje, és a változatosság kedvéért Grodin, egyik szerkesztőnk is.

[...] Bővebben!

By nominating a civilian such as Andrei Belousov for the post of the Defence Minister, Vladimir Putin continued the tradition that had developed during his service. General Sergei Ivanov was the first minister appointed by Putin. Ivanov came from intelligence (he headed the military department from 2001 to 2007), and was replaced (under President Dmitry Medvedev) by the former chief tax officer Anatoly Serdyukov. Serdyukov served at the post for five years. Sergei Shoigu, a civil engineer by training and the founder of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, chaired the Defence Ministry in 2012 (he left the post of the Moscow region governor). Andrei Belousov is 65 years old. He has been associated with economics all his life. After graduating from the Department of Economics of the Moscow State University, he took up scientific activities — first at the Central Institute of Economics and Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences, then at the Institute of Economics and Forecasting of Scientific and Technological Progress of the USSR Academy of Sciences. In 1990-2006, he served as a senior researcher and head of a laboratory at the Institute of Economic Forecasting of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Andrei Belousov, who held the position of First Deputy Head of the Cabinet of Ministers, will now become Russia's new Defence Minister. The Federation Council will discuss his candidacy on May 13 and 14. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was important to integrate the economy of the power bloc into the country's economy so that it meets the dynamics of the current moment. "The one who is more open to innovation wins on the battlefield," Peskov said. "The Ministry of Defence must be absolutely open to innovation, to all advanced ideas the purpose of economic competitiveness. Apparently, this is why the president picked the candidacy of Andrei Removich Belousov," he noted.

,,Henrik, ha mint király kormányozol ...
. . . én. s tízezer boldogtalan hazánkban,
Nem hagy halálát gyászoló özvegyet ... "
("VI. HENRIK" II. FELV. 6. SZÍN. VAS ISTVÁN FORD.)

„Szent angol vér trágyázza majd a földet
S álnok tettét késő korok nyögik,
Pogány törökkel kél a béke nászra,
S e békés honban szörnyű háborúk
Kevernek össze majd rokont rokonnal;
Zűr, irtózat, lázongás, rémület
Ver itt tanyát s e hont a koponyák
Hegyének s Golgotának nevezik majd."
(,,II. RICHÁRD" IV. FELVONÁS 1. SZIN.
SOMLYÓ GYÖRGY FORD.)

"Isten legyen könyörületes hozzánk az ő szent irgalmával, hogy minél előbb jó és bölcs uralom alá kerüljön ezen grófság, mert még soha nem hallottam annyi rablásról és gyilkosságról ebben a grófságban, mint most, igencsak rövid idő alatt." - részlet Margaret Paston férjéhez írt leveléből, 1462. január

Podcastunk 105. adásában, melyben ígéretet tettünk, hogy részletekbe menően vissza fogunk térni még az angliai rózsák háborújára, III. Richárd filmes ábrázolásairól beszélgettünk. Most eljött az ideje, hogy beváltsuk ezt az ígéretet, és először is érdemes tisztáznunk, hogy a Shakespeare által sommásan befeketített York-házi király alakja nemcsak mozifilmekben került a képernyőre, hanem legalább egy TV-sorozatban is. Ez a magyar szinkronnal is forgalmazott A fehér királyné (Company Pictures, 2013), mely mai adásunk egyik témája.

[...] Bővebben!

Amikor 2022 elején adást közöltünk le az új, Villeneuve-féle Dűne adaptációról, ígéretet tettünk, hogy a 2. résszel is foglalkozni fogunk. Ne mondja senki, hogy nem tartjuk meg az ígéretünket: ez a film a témája a KatPol Kávéház 108. adásának.

[...] Bővebben!

Timur Ivanov, Russian Deputy Defence Minister, was arrested on April 23 in the case of bribery. He will remain in custody before June 2024. A Moscow court sent Deputy Defence Minister Timur Ivanov to a pre-trial detention centre. He was arrested for two months, until June 23. Ivanov was charged under Part 6 of Art. 290 of the Criminal Code (receiving a bribe on an especially large scale). According to investigators, Ivanov entered into a "criminal conspiracy with third parties to commit a crime and received a large bribe in the form of property services provided during contracting and subcontracting works for the needs of the Defence Ministry.”

A cég 172,47 millió forint összköltségű projektje során komplex kapacitásbővítés keretében gépparkját és telephelyét fejlesztette. A beruházáshoz a Forgút Bt. a Széchenyi Terv Plusz program „A mikro-, kis- és középvállalkozások modern üzleti és termelési kihívásokhoz való alkalmazkodását segítő fejlesztések támogatása a leghátrányosabb helyzetű régiókban” című felhívásán 120,73 millió forint feltételesen vissza nem térítendő európai uniós támogatást nyert el.

A Forgút Bt. 1998-ban Békéscsabán alakult, 100 százalékban magyar tulajdonú vállalkozás. Fő tevékenysége a mélyépítéshez kapcsolható gyártás és kivitelezés a forgalomtechnika, valamint az útépítés területén. A cég 20 fő dolgozóval, saját tulajdonú telephellyel és jelentős gépparkkal rendelkezik. A magyarországi fő és alsóbbrendű úthálózat folyamatos fejlesztésével a Forgút Bt. jövőbeli fejlődési lehetőségei között szerepelt, hogy kapacitásait bővíti, eszközállományát tovább szélesíti.

A vállalkozás burkolatjelfestési eszközparkja a projekt keretén belül került bővítésre, fejlesztésre. A beszerzésekkel ezen munkálatok most már saját erőből lesznek elvégezhetők. A projekt megvalósítása során az alábbi eszközbeszerzések és eszköz üzembe helyezések történtek meg: 1 db JCB Vibromax CT 260-120 tandem vibrohenger utak, útburkolatok aszfaltrétegeinek egyengetéséhez, tömörítéséhez, 1 db JCB 3CX TT kotró-rakodógép útburkolatok építésénél kotrási és rakodási műveletekhez, 1 db Graco LineLazer V 3900 és 1 db Graco LineLazer V 5900 kézi útjelfestő berendezések, melyek az útburkolati jelek hosszirányú felfestésére alkalmas gépek, 1 db motoros hajtású Graco LineDriver HD, amely az útjelfestő berendezés meghajtásához szükséges berendezés, valamint 1 db Hofmann RM3D-2 nagyfestőgép nagy kapacitású útjelfestő berendezés.

A fejlesztések során a vállalkozás telephelyén lévő, a gépek elhelyezésére szolgáló, korábban három oldalról nyitott, döngölt föld aljzattal rendelkező szín átépítése is megvalósult. A fejlesztések eredményeként a nyitott szín egy zárható, a gépeket a külső időjárási körülményektől megvédő helyiséggé alakult át. A beépítésre került ipari kapuk a gépek könnyebb ki és bejutását teszik lehetővé.

A vállalkozás a stratégiai és üzleti tervezési szolgáltatás bevonásával felmérte, hogy a dél-alföldi régió autópálya és közút fejlesztései hogyan lennének a legjobban kiaknázhatóak a vállalkozás számára.

A beszerzésre került eszközök megfelelnek a mai kor követelményeinek, használatukkal javul a munkavégzés pontossága és hatékonysága. A békéscsabai telep részleges energia ellátását 10,5 kWp-os napelem rendszer támogatja, míg a vállalkozás 2 fő szellemi alkalmazottjára táv- és csoportmunka feladatokat támogató üzleti felhőszolgáltatás került bevezetésre.

A Széchenyi Terv Plusz program GINOP_PLUSZ-1.2.3-21 számú pályázati kiírásán 120 730 985 forint támogatást elnyert, 172 472 837 forint összköltségvetésű fejlesztés 2022. március 1-én indult és 2024. február 22-én zárult.

“If Hamas truly believes that the people, the Palestinian people are suffering, then why would they want to take this aid and use it for themselves to support their terrorist organization? One would hope that this aid will get to the people that are most deserving and in need.”
Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder when asked how the US was going to ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians and not Hamas, March 8, 2024

Did Ryder really acknowledge that Hamas is a terrorist organization and then in the same breath expect that those terrorists would happily share humanitarian aid with the rest of Gaza?

We shouldn't be all that surprised. Remember, this is the same administration where Biden himself wholeheartedly accepts -- and repeats -- the Hamas claim that 30,000 Gazans have died so far.

The Biden administration, like most of the West, has fallen for the Hamas propaganda -- hook, line, and sinker. That is the point made in a recent YNet article, The US sees situation in Gaza through Hamas' optics:Hamas uses the suffering of the people in Gaza for its propaganda purposes and for pressuring Israel. The fact that the U.S. has fallen for this Hamas tactic is no less than shocking. It only reinforces Hamas’ incentive to use the civilian population as a human shield since this strategy works - it is more harmful to Israel than it is to Hamas.Of course, we can make the argument that the Biden administration is not fooled by Hamas at all -- they are merely undercutting Israel because this is an election year and the powers that be are afraid of losing votes. But that interpretation doesn't make Biden look any better.
Either way, the administration is publicly accepting Hamas disinformation and reinforcing it. That only strengthens the terrorists in their strategy and encourages them to hold out while putting lives and the future of Gaza at stake. Biden says he wants stability, but his actions have the opposite effect.
The destruction of Hamas terrorists is not a stated goal. The foreign policy is even more wishy-washy.
For that matter, in the recent UN Security Council Resolution 2728, there is no linkage between a cease-fire and the release of the hostages. Hamas wins again. 

 The resolution fails to explicitly tie humanitarian aid to the release of hostages. The resolution merely puts the two issues side by side.
During Monday's Press Briefing, Matt Lee of the Associated Press pushed State Department Spokesperson, Matthew Miller on this point:QUESTION: So last week when you guys presented your resolution at the UN, there were complaints from people who said that it delinked the ceasefire from the release of hostages, and U.S. officials were rather vociferous in saying that that is not the case. However, what you guys abstained on today does appear to delink them. Is that your understanding of —


MR MILLER: So we don’t believe it delinks them. You see in the same paragraph it – the resolution calling for both a ceasefire and the release of hostages. It’s not the exact language that we would have put forward, obviously, because the language that we would put forward is the language that we did put forward last week, but it is language that is consistent with our policy to call for both a ceasefire and the release of hostages, and that’s why we did not exercise a veto today.

As I said, we did have concerns about the lack of other provisions in the resolution, but as it pertains to a ceasefire and the release of hostages, both the things that we called for were there in the resolution. A few moments later, Miller admits this resolution is toothless since it is non-binding. Matt Lee asks the obvious question:QUESTION: So what’s the point?

MR MILLER: Well —

QUESTION: Why did you —

MR MILLER: — you could ask that —

QUESTION: Why did you abstain? Why didn’t you veto?

MR MILLER: We didn’t veto because we thought the language in it was consistent with something that – the language as it relates to the ceasefire and release of hostages was consistent with the longstanding United States position.

QUESTION: So you don’t believe anything is going to happen as a result of the passage of this resolution.

MR MILLER: So I think that separate and apart from this resolution, we have active, ongoing negotiations to try to achieve what this resolution calls for, which is the – an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages. I don’t – I can’t say that this – this resolution is going to have any impact on those negotiations. Matt Lee


This whole drama leading up to passing a resolution for a cease-fire has all been for nothing. That fact leads to Lee's obvious question:If that’s the case, what the hell is the point of the UN or the UN Security Council?Miller admits the US is not looking to the UN to get things done. It is looking to negotiate in Qatar. That would be the same Qatar that supports Hamas and plays host to Hamas leaders. This is not exactly neutral territory.
Is it any wonder that Hamas has shown no inclination to surrender and is willing -- and confident -- in its strategy to sit and wait?
I recall that during the Iranian hostage crisis during the Carter administration, some suggested that the Iranians would not have dared to try taking Russians hostage -- such was the fear that the Soviet Union inspired. 
That was then.
The ISIS massacre at the concert hall shows that those days are over. Ukraine's ability to hold out against Putin has seen to that.
The West will blame Israel for the Hamas massacre and for unrest in the Middle East. But it is becoming increasingly clear that the weakness and indecision of the once powerful "superpowers" is seen as an invitation to Islamists to renew and expand their jihad.

(B2) Si la France était attaquée demain, aurait-elle les moyens de se défendre ? C'est autour de cette question que

A kiszolgált katonák élete valószínűleg helytől és kortól függetlenül sosem volt könnyű, még akkor sem, ha az őket szolgálatba hívó állam történetesen hajlandóságot mutatott a velük való törődésre. Persze így is akadnak, akikből ilyen helyzetben nemhogy nem párolog el az életkedv és tettvágy, mint ahogy ez sajnos sokukkal megtörténik, hanem a békeidőket kihasználva egyenesen belevetik magukat vérmes elgondolások megvalósításába.

Szélsőséges példa erre Ludvig Kahlen hadnagy története, aki a XVIII. századi porosz hadseregben bizonyára példásan kitanult fegyelmet, szorgalmat és rendezettséget burgonyatermesztő telepesként remélte sikeresen kamatoztatni. Az ilyesmi ugyebár sosem számított kifejezetten könnyed, kényelmes életformának, de az eltökélt Kahlen ezt képes volt még azzal megfejelni, hogy a dániai Jüt-félsziget északnyugati részén, a Pallas Nagylexikon leírása szerint terméketlen, "posványoktól megszakított homokos területen" kezdett gazdálkodni.

[...] Bővebben!

A cég a 178,66 millió forint összköltségű projektje során acélszerkezet gyártó üzemét bővítette, valamint eszközbeszerzést és szervezetfejlesztést is megvalósított. A beruházáshoz a Károlyi és Társa Kft. a Széchenyi Terv Plusz program „A mikro-, kis- és középvállalkozások modern üzleti és termelési kihívásokhoz való alkalmazkodását segítő fejlesztések támogatása a leghátrányosabb helyzetű régiókban” című felhívásán nyert el 125,06 millió forint feltételesen vissza nem térítendő európai uniós támogatást.

A Károlyi és Társa Kft. 1990 óta foglalkozik építőipari kivitelezéssel, középületek, ipari- és lakóépületek építésével.

A fejlesztési beruházás keretében a Mezőberény, Vásártér utca 10. szám alatti üzemcsarnok bővítése valósult meg mintegy 834 m2-el. A csarnoképület utcai végében kiépített új iroda és szociális helyiségek szolgálják a dolgozók megfelelő munkahelyi körülményeit.

A projekt keretében egy 15 kWp teljesítményű napelemrendszer telepítése is megvalósult, melyet az új épületrész tetőzetére helyeztek el.

A vállalkozás a projekt során új termelőeszközöket is beszerzett, melyek a JCB 4CX Pro Stage5 AEC típusú földmunkagép, egy 3 tonna teherbírású dízelüzemű targonca, két db védőgázas Weldi -Míg 4500 W típusú hegesztőberendezés, valamint egy MBS 300 DG PRO típusú fémfűrészgép.

A projekt keretében a Károlyi és Társa Kft. a szervezeti struktúra és tevékenységek optimalizálását segítő szakértői szolgáltatást is igénybe vett, valamint 3 fő angol nyelvi képzése is megvalósult.

A megvalósított fejlesztések a vállalkozás hatékonyabb termelését segítik elő, továbbá a képzés és szervezeti struktúra korszerűsítésére vonatkozó tanácsadás a vállalat irányításában, a munkaerő felkészültségében jelent előrelépést, és hozzájárul a munkahelyek megtartásához is.

A Széchenyi Terv Plusz program GINOP_PLUSZ-1.2.3-21 számú pályázati kiírásán 125 059 300 forint támogatást elnyert, 178 656 143 forint összköltségvetésű fejlesztés 2022. február 28-án indult és 2024. február 29-én zárult.

When people argue that Israel and Hamas need to negotiate and make peace, they sometimes draw comparisons between Hamas and the IRA:

Yes, they have to negotiate w/ Hamas. Just like the Brits had to negotiate with the IRA in Northern Ireland in the 1990s. The IRA were terrorists. They almost killed Margaret Thatcher once. But negotiation was necessary for durable peace. Have to do it in Israel now & end the war https://t.co/3WblyxUcfB

— Zane (@zanealb04) March 8, 2024

It is not an unexpected sentiment.

Those negotiations led to the Good Friday Agreement in 2001, where the Irish Republican Army agreed to begin disarming. It was an amazing achievement.

CNN interviewed Secretary of State Colin Powell and British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw. Powell praised the agreement, saying it "shows what can happen when one remains persistent and is determined to solve what appear to be intractable problems." Midway through the press conference, the topic of Israel came up.

The final question was, "Secretary Powell, does the situation in Northern Ireland not show us all that negotiations is really the only way forward in all of these situations?" Israel was not mentioned, but it clearly was on everyone's mind.

Powell responded:

what we have seen in Northern Ireland in the last 24 hours, which culminates a process that took many, many years long to get to this point, is an example of what can be achieved when people of good will come together, recognize they have strong differences -- differences that they have fought over for years -- but it's time to put those differences aside in order to move forward and to provide a better life for the children of Northern Ireland.

Very...tactful. He praised both the participants and the diplomatic process in general.

But Straw got in the last word:

It also has to be said that, before that happened, there had to be a change of approach by those who saw terrorism as the answer. And that approach partly changed because of the firmness of the military and police response to that terrorism. And if there had not been that firm response by successive British governments and others to the terrorist threat that was posed on both sides, we would not have been able to get some of those people into negotiation, and we'd not be marking what is a satisfactory day in the history of Northern Ireland today.

Before diplomacy could work, terrorism had to be defeated and those who practiced it had to reject it. And for that to happen, military force was necessary.

And terrorism still needs to be rejected. A diplomatic approach won't suffice.

Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, made this point in his Victory Project. He wrote in 2017 that Israel needs "to indicate to the Palestinians that this conflict, this war that they have been engaged in for a century, is over. And they lost. And they've got to recognize it." He describes a plan of deterrence that goes beyond tough tactics:

When Palestinian “martyrs” cause material damage, pay for repairs out of the roughly $300 million in tax obligations the government of Israel transfers to the Palestinian Authority (PA) each year. Respond to activities designed to isolate and weaken Israel internationally by limiting access to the West Bank. When a Palestinian attacker is killed, bury the body quietly and anonymously in a potter’s field. When the PA leadership incites violence, prevent officials from returning to the PA from abroad. Respond to the murder of Israelis by expanding Jewish towns on the West Bank. When official PA guns are turned against Israelis, seize these and prohibit new ones, and if this happens repeatedly, dismantle the PA’s security infrastructure. Should violence continue, reduce and then shut off the water and electricity that Israel supplies. In the case of gunfire, mortar shelling, and rockets, occupy and control the areas from which these originate.

Israel has used some of these suggestions, such as subtracting from the tax money that goes to the PA in response to Abbas's pay-to-slay program. And in light of the Hamas massacre of October 7, Israel may consider stricter measures, both in terms of Gaza and the West Bank. The measures themselves are not purely punitive. Their goal is deterrence and ultimately to show the Palestinian Arabs that they have lost.

That would be the opposite of the approach of the Dalai Lama to the terrorist attack of 9-11:

How to respond to such an attack is a very difficult question. Of course, those who are dealing with the problem may know better, but I feel that careful consideration is necessary and that it is appropriate to respond to an act of violence by employing the principles of nonviolence. The Dalai Lama (YouTube screenshot)
And yet even here, he leaves some wiggle room for a stronger, harsher approach:

Of course, in particular instances a more aggressive approach may also be necessary. Two years later, the Dalai Lama raised eyebrows when the New York Times reported, Dalai Lama Says Terror May Need a Violent Reply

The Dalai Lama, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and one of the world's most prominent advocates of nonviolence, said in an interview yesterday that it might be necessary to fight terrorists with violence... He goes on to say that ''terrorism is the worst kind of violence, so we have to check it, we have to take countermeasures" and even suggests, at the time, that it was ''too early to say'' whether the war in Iraq was a mistake. 

In 2009, the Dalai Lama was still saying the same thing:

The Dalai Lama, a lifelong champion of non-violence on Saturday candidly stated that terrorism cannot be tackled by applying the principle of ahimsa [non-violence] because the minds of terrorists are closed.

And if the minds of terrorists are closed, then as Jack Straw suggested, military force is necessary, and as Daniel Pipes says, you have to convince them that they have lost.

Who knows? Maybe even Biden understands that to a degree. In an interview following his State of the Union Address, Biden was asked when Hamas really wants a ceasefire:

Biden admits the futility of a ceasefire and acknowledges that Hamas will use the opportunity to rearm itself for more attacks -- before pausing and going back to attacking Israel, with an outlandish accusation that it is carpet-bombing Gaza, consistent with his unquestioning acceptance of Hamas's exaggerated number of casualties.

If Hamas is allowed to live to fight another day -- it will.
The fact remains -- Israel will not win unless Hamas loses.

 

From March 2018 to December 2019, the media reported on The Great March of Return. Each Friday, the Palestinian Arabs of Gaza approached the barrier separating Gaza from Israel in "spontaneous," "peaceful" protests, demanding the right to return to their homes in "Palestine." It didn't take long for Hamas to coopt the protests. Soon, amidst the smoke of burning tires and under cover of night, Gazans attempted to break through the fence into Israel.

These were not peaceful protests; they were destructive riots. But how does international law apply to civilian rioting in support of military objectives?

Which paradigm is applicable: Conduct of Hostilities or Law Enforcement -- or a combination of the two? 

And the media insisted on portraying the March as a series of "peaceful protests."

The March was useful for Hamas. It put pressure on Israel to deal with masses of Gazans at the barrier, many of whom tried to break through and infiltrate into Israel. The Gazans who were killed or injured became frontpage news generating worldwide condemnations of Israel

By the end of 2019, Hamas "postponed" the weekly riots.But on October 7, 2023, Hamas penetrated the barrier -- murdering, raping, and kidnapping Israeli civilians.

Now, riots against Israel are again in the news, but this time they are around the world. These are pro-Palestinian riots, and they are not peaceful -- but that does not stop the media from calling them "protests" even while describing the destruction they cause. After all, no one wants to admit the government is losing control:o  NBC: Buildings vandalized during pro-Palestinian rally in West Hartford: police
o  LA Daily News: Lawmakers call for DOJ investigation of pro-Palestinian vandalism at LA veterans cemetery
o  ABC News: Pro-Palestinian protesters deface front of the New York City Public Library
o  Axios: Multiple congressional offices hit with pro-Palestinian vandalism
o  Washington Times: Pro-Palestinian marchers push against White House fence, vandalize national monuments during protestBeyond the destruction, another goal of the riots is disruption:o  Reuters: Hundreds of Pro-Palestinian protesters arrested after blocking NYC bridges, tunnel
o  Haaretz: Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block Access to New York Times Newsroom, Accuse Staff of 'Complicity in Genocide'
o  NBC: Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters block downtown LA streets to call for ceasefireo  AP: Pro-Palestinian protesters block airport access roads in New York and Los Angeleso  ABC: Pro-Palestinian protests block New York City bridges, Holland Tunnel; over 300 arrestedSome have questioned the methods of the rioters. After all, how can they hope to change people's minds when they resort to violence and inconveniencing people? This misses the point. The rioters and those organizing them are not interested in reason and dialogue. They are pushing an agenda.
And they are using public disruptions as leverage.
This is not a new form of protest. It is an application and even a refinement of hybrid warfare. The NATO Review explains the concept:Conflicts are fought in new, innovative, and radically different ways. With the advent of modern hybrid warfare, they are less and less about lethal or kinetic force.

It is important to note here that the concept of hybrid warfare might not be entirely new. Many practitioners contend that it is as old as war itself. Nevertheless, it has gained significant currency and relevance in recent years as states employ non-state actors and information technology to subdue their adversaries during or—more importantly—in the absence of a direct armed conflict. [emphasis added]  Back in 2018, during The March, The Begin-Sadat Center For Strategic Studies made the connection between the Hamas-inspired riots and how other countries were also weaponizing unarmed civilians. For example, during the Russian campaign in Georgia:Those campaigns made deliberate and effective use of the combination of military force and civilian activity. In the fighting in Georgia, for example, armored forces were able to enter the north of the country thanks to the efforts of Russian-oriented Georgian-Abkhaz civilians, who, in a preparatory move, seized the tunnels and bridges of the expressway that leads to the capital, Tbilisi.
This is not limited to Russia, nor does there have to be a military component: "Similarly, Beijing is making use of thousands of civilian fishing boats in its efforts to extend its sovereignty over the South China Sea."
According to The NATO Review, hybrid warfare does not require a context of all-out war:What takes the centre stage here is the role of civilians: how they think and act in relation to the state. Contemporary digital and social media platforms allow hybrid actors to influence this to the detriment of the adversary state with considerable ease. The Russian online disinformation campaigns, some of which are very subtle yet grave, against some Western states constitute a good case in point. [emphasis added]The riots we are seeing are not spontaneous. They are a means to push an agenda, demanding that Biden and the Democratic Party support a ceasefire in Gaza. The alternative is the disruption of Biden's presidential campaign. 
These riots are not like the anti-Israel protests we are used to. The Toronto Sun points out that instead of the smaller, less organized anti-Israel protests we are used to, now: Hundreds, sometimes thousands, participate. They’ve got professionally-rendered signs and banners. They’ve got transportation, and food and drink. And they’ve got organizers who wear uniforms and control the crowds.

But there is more to this than just better organization; there is also better funding. But the money is for more than just staffing and supplies. People are being paid to riot:

pro-Palestine — and, increasingly, pro-Hamas — protestors are being paid to protest.  To block highways and roads.  To intimidate and threaten Jews and non-Jews. To cause chaos.

From the Palestinian Authority's pay-to-slay program, we have now arrived at the pay-to-riot program. The people who hold the money call the shots. Since the organizers are still paying out despite the riots, vandalism, and chaos  -- it appears that the rioting, vandalism, and chaos are what the organizers want.

According to Francesca Block, writing for The Free Press, one of those funding this chaos on the streets of the US is the American-born tech entrepreneur, Neville Roy Singham. He is the founder and one of the lead supporters of The People’s Forum. The group helped to organize at least four protests after October 7 as of November 14.  One of them was on October 8, before Israel had taken any action in Gaza:

The New York Times found ties between Singham and "a lavishly funded influence campaign that defends China and pushes its propaganda":

What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr. Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide.The article describes him as "a socialist benefactor of far-left causes." Singham denies any connection with the Chinese Communist Party or China itself. However, according to the article:He and his allies are on the front line of what Communist Party officials call a “smokeless war.” Under the rule of Xi Jinping, China has expanded state media operations, teamed up with overseas outlets and cultivated foreign influencers. The goal is to disguise propaganda as independent content. "Smokeless war" is a good description of hybrid warfare.
The August 2023 Times article makes no mention of Israel, Palestinian Arabs, or Gaza, but as a supporter of far-left causes Singham's People's Forum supporting violent protests is not surprising. For China, the riots are not necessarily a question of supporting Gaza, but rather using pro-Palestinian protests and the chaos they create to undermine the US. These Chinese media interests are helping sow discord in the U.S., Rep. Mike Gallagher, the chairman of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, told The Free Press.

“The Chinese Communist Party uses tools like Confucius Institutes on college campuses, TikTok’s addictive algorithm, and organizations like those that Mr. Singham funds to divide and weaken America,” Gallagher said. If Gallagher is right, the chaos created by these "protests" is not a bug.
They are a feature.
Which means that Israel is not the only target.

The monstrous terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall in Russia triggered discussions about the need to reinstate death penalty in the country. It is the legal side of the issue that is being discussed, since the moratorium was established by the Constitutional Court. Russian officials believe that the moratorium on the death penalty that was introduced in Russia in 1996 in connection with the entry into the Council of Europe should be suspended. State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin believes that there is no need for any referendum here — it would only be enough for the Constitutional Court to lift it. Lawyers believe executions will return to Russia Experts maintain that according to the Constitutional Court's clarification from 2009, the binding nature of this or that political decision shall remain unchanged. However, the head of the State Duma Committee on Legislation, Pavel Krasheninnikov, said that there are grounds for lifting the moratorium.

Russia's gold reserves have become the "magic wand” with the help of which Russia easily survived the "hellish” sanctions of the West and achieved economic growth. The West admires Russia's policy of pegging the ruble to gold The Russian economy showed unprecedented growth of 3.6 percent in 2023 against the backdrop of more than 16,000 sanctions, as well as huge expenses for carrying out the special military operation in Ukraine. Russia's GDP is to grow by another 2.6 percent in 2024, the IMF said. Russia has been able to achieve that with the help of its "gold strategy,” The Conversation. com website said. The strategy is about pegging the ruble to gold and liberalising gold trade.

Hamas has a history of executing Palestinians who the terrorists claim are collaborating with Israel. Back in 2014, for example, the Times of Israel reported that Hamas killed over 30 suspected collaborators with Israel. And that was over just a few days. Of course, there is no way to tell whether Hamas actually executes collaborators, or is killing off opposition to its rule in Gaza.

According to Hamas, collaborating with Israel is not limited to spying for the Jewish state and relaying information that helps to target Hamas terrorists. 
Helping Gazans can also get you killed by Hamas:A Hamas-linked website warned Palestinians who assist Israel in providing aid to Gaza that their actions will not be “tolerated”.

Those who did would be treated as collaborators and be handled with an iron fist, the Hamas Al-Majd security website said on Monday, quoting a security official in Palestinian militant forces. Considering how Hamas has been taking Gazan aid for themselves and in some cases selling it to the people at inflated prices, it is understandable that the terrorists might be piqued.

Hamas is stealing aid and trying to sell it back to Gazans at exorbitant prices. https://t.co/AXQ363orF7

— Haviv Rettig Gur (@havivrettiggur) January 17, 2024

But this time, Hamas may have gone too far. On Thursday, JNS reported, Hamas executes Gaza clan ‘prince’ in message to potential ‘collaborators’:Hamas has executed a “prince” of the Doghmush clan in Gaza City, sources in Gaza said on Thursday. The killing was a message to those considering cooperating with Israel, which is looking for ways to bypass the terror group in the enclave, according to the sources.

Israel has floated the idea of Gaza clans acting as partners in running the internal affairs of the Strip after Hamas has been eliminated.

If Hamas was trying to dissuade Gazans from participating in Israel's plan, it may have been unnecessary. The clans are reported to have rejected what they considered Israeli interfernce in internal matters. More to the point, if Hamas felt the need to kill tribal leaders in order to maintain control, that constitutes a major change in tactics indicating that Hamas is afraid of losing control.

On March 10, Khaled Abu Toameh reported that Hamas was competing with the PA to get the support of the clans:

The P.A. and Hamas understand that the backing of the clans is crucial for maintaining their control over the Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza Strip. That’s why P.A. and Hamas leaders have always treated the large families and their leaders with utmost respect. In some instances, clan leaders were elevated to the unofficial position of supreme judges and arbitrators, replacing the official judiciary and law enforcement of both organizations.

This is all the more reason to see the Hamas execution of a clan leader as an admission of a potential threat to Hamas control in Gaza. The fact that Hamas killed the leader supports Toameh's report that some of the clans sided with the PA and were enforcing law and order in some of the towns and refugee camps, preventing looting and anarchy. And one clan was in fact reported to be escorting some of the trucks carrying humanitarian aid that entered through Egypt and Israel.

This is not the first time Hamas has sparked revenge over their killing of an Arab. This past November, a Bedouin family accused Hamas of torturing, humiliating and executing Osama Abu Asa during the October 7 massacre. They offered a reward of $1 million for help in identifying who killed him. An uncle made clear, "as with the bedouins, we have a blood feud with the terrorists. This account will be closed, no matter how long it takes.”

But this time, the backlash is against all of Hamas: Major Gaza clan says it considers all Hamas members legitimate targets after leader assassinated:

The Doghmosh Family — a major clan in Gaza — has issued a statement declaring that all Hamas members are legitimate targets after its leader was assassinated by members of the terror group along with ten other relatives allegedly for stealing humanitarian aid and being in contact with Israel.

The statement pledges retribution against all responsible and warns Hamas fighters not to test the clan’s patience.

How serious is this threat to Hamas?

On November 9, 2005, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, al-Zarqawi, claimed responsibility for the three suicide bombers who killed 60 people at hotels in Amman Jordan. He was rebuked by members of his own tribe.

“We, the sons of the Bani Hassan tribe in all its branches in the Hashemite kingdom of Jordan, support and express solidarity with our cousins, the al-Khalayleh clan, and their decision to sever relations with the terrorist Ahmad Fadheel Nazzal al-Khalayleh, who calls himself Abu Musab al-Zarqawi,” said the letter published in four leading newspapers.

...In a similar letter on Nov. 20, almost 60 members of al-Zarqawi’s extended family disowned him and pledged fidelity to the crown.

This signaled the beginning of al-Zarqawi's downfall. He was killed in a US airstrike the following year.

We can only hope that the blood feud Hamas has brought upon itself, from Arabs who have outright threatened to kill Hamas members, will have similar results.

The following is the conclusion of the second interview with Dr. Harold Rhode.

The idea of a two-state solution being pushed by the US State Department does not attract the Palestinian Arabs. They are not interested in the benefits Arabs have in Israel as opposed to in the surrounding states.

So why did the Palestinian Arabs sign the Oslo Accords?

Signatures on documents do not mean much in Arab culture. Two weeks after the signing of the Oslo Agreement, Arafat spoke at a mosque in South Africa. He told his listeners he did not sign a peace agreement with Israel. It was a truce. He compared the Oslo Accords to the ten-year truce their prophet Muhammad signed at Hudaybiya (near Mecca) with his enemies, the Qureysh.

Two years later, when Muhammad realized he was stronger than his enemies, he attacked and conquered Mecca -- so much for the 10-year truce with his enemy. Similarly, on October 7, 2023, Hamas and Iran saw Israel as divided and weak. But they miscalculated because this wasn’t Hudaybiya. They did not understand Israel’s internal fortitude.

But all is not lost when it comes to Israel-Arab relations.

Muslims can sign agreements with their opponents which –- unlike the Hudaybiya truce –- can be periodically renewed when they believe it is in their interests. Netanyahu knew that once they needed what Israel had to offer -- such as hi-tech, security, and investments -- the Arabs would be the ones reaching out for an agreement.

This is the reason why the Abraham Accords were signed.

Moreover, Muslims respect power. When President Trump killed Qasem Soleimani, Iran became relatively quiet, except for some small probing attacks. We saw this also in Iran's reaction to President Ronald Reagan before he came into office. Forty-five minutes before Reagan took the oath of office, Iran put the US hostages on a plane to freedom. Iran saw Reagan as a cowboy who would destroy them.

You can make things happen once you understand the Muslim respect for power.

In comparison, a compromise is a blot on your honor. In the Muslim world, compromise is a sign of weakness, encouraging others to strike back at you even harder. You cannot give in. The Americans have not yet learned the Muslim concept of compromise.

Concepts are not the same as words. Anybody can look up a word in a dictionary and translate it the way you like. We assume a concept means the same thing in every language. But cultures don't communicate -- they clash.

I once asked an Arab friend how he would translate the word "compromise." He thought about it for a week and came back to me. He said the closest he could get to it in Arabic was a word with the root N-Z-L. We both laughed because in Hebrew that root means "a runny nose." In Arabic, it means to get off your camel -- the common idea being to go down, that you humiliate yourself. That is what the Western concept of compromise means in Arabic.

Compromise means humiliation.

That is why there can be no two-state solution. At best, it would be a temporary solution, but it will be like Gaza: they will take what you give them and then use it against you. An agreement might be renewed over and over, but it is not designed to last and there is always the possibility it will fall apart. There may be others who will be better allies, especially if they are also Arabs and in the same clan. It is not a nice way to live, but then again, there is no such thing as peace.

That doesn't mean we cannot have long periods of quiet.

Az ukrajnai háború eseményeit figyelve nem lehet elmenni a Jevgenyij Pirgozsin nevével fémjelzett – és vele gyakorlatilag eggyé váló – Wagner katonai magánvállalat mellett, amely a szíriai és afrikai műveletei után legnagyobb eredményeit pont abban az Ukrajnában szerezte meg, amely 2014-ben szülőhelyéül szolgált. A Wagner 2022-től kezdve számos számos front mentén, de leginkább Bahmut ostromakor mérettette meg magát. Popasznaja, Liszicsanszk és Szoledar elfoglalásával a Wagner „brand” legendává vált a front mindkét oldalán, amelyet tovább emelt Prigozsinék 9 hónapos teljesítménye a bahmuti húsdarálóban. Utóbbit végül csak a finálét jelentő 2023. júniusi „Igazság menete” tudta megtörni, amely végső soron Prigozsin és az addig ismert Wagner végét hozta el magával. De, antik görög drámához hasonlóan a Wagner-eposz esetében sem maradhatott el a katartikus lezárás Prigozsin 2023. augusztusi, máig tisztázatlan légikatasztrófájával.

Ebben a helyzetben kapcsolódunk be a meglepően nagy érdeklődést keltő Legjobbak a pokolban című akciófilmhez. Maga a film még 2022 októberében jelent meg Jevgenyij Prigozsin személyes finanszírozása és közreműködése mellett. Ez sem véletlen, hisz még bukása előtt Prigozsin egy nagyobb szentpétervári központú médiabirodalommal rendelkezett, így pontosan értette és tudta, mi szükséges a Wagner körüli mítosz további fejlesztéséhez. A cím egyben a Wagner nem hivatalos – de szintén Prigozsintól származó – szlogenjének a parafrázisa, amely szerint „bár mind a pokolra kerülünk, de a pokolban is mi leszünk a legjobbak”.

[...] Bővebben!