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Le Débat BBC Afrique avec Dr Edouard Zoutomou Kpoghomou

A Sikorsky ikonikus forgószárnyasa, az SH-3 Sea King az Egyesült Államokon kívül további tizennégy ország felségjelével repült és négyben gyártották is. Meddő próbálkozás lenne tehát rövid, de mégis átfogó ismertetőt írni, ezért most kizárólag a négy alapváltozatról lesz szó, amelyek az amerikai haditengerészet, a US Navy tengeralattjáró-elhárító és harci támogató századainál üzemeltek.

A második világháborút követő években a forgószárnyas technika immár visszavonhatatlanul helyet követelt a katonai repülésben. A helikopterek kifejlesztésében élenjáró ukrán emigráns, Igor Sikorsky 1923-ban alapított cége a harmincas években repülőcsónakok gyártásával szerzett hírnevet. Gépeit a kor neves légitársasága, a Pan American Airways is üzemeltette transzóceáni útvonalain. Sikorsky figyelme ugyanebben az évtizedben fordult a helikopterek felé és lelkesen vetette bele magát a merevszárnyú repülőgépekétől merőben eltérő műszaki megoldások kidolgozásába. Első, már helikopternek mondható repülő szerkezete 1940 májusában szállt fel, Sikorskyval a kormányoknál. Ha valaki, akkor ő igazán tudta, hogy mibe ül…

[...] Bővebben!

Éppen egyik cikkem illusztrációjához keresgéltem régi papírképeim között, amikor kezembe akadt egy Ferihegyen parkoló kék-fehér Fokker F27-es fotója. A kép fényes nappal készült, de egy éjszakai repülés emlékét idézte fel. Feljegyzéseimbe lapozva a repülés dátumát is megtaláltam és mivel ennek éppen 25 éve – ráadásul a kargópilótákról ritkán esik szó – gondoltam, a dolog megér egy visszaemlékezést.

Az ezredforduló környékén egy gyorsposta-szállítással foglalkozó, svájci központú légiforgalmi cég magyar leányvállalata, a Farnair Hungary a legismertebbek között volt. Számos pilótának volt ugródeszka a közforgalmi repülés világába, mert akkoriban a nemzeti légitársasághoz, a Malévhez kevés fiatal jutott be. Ennek többnyire nem szakmai okai voltak. Fogalmazzunk úgy, hogy a kapcsolati tőkéjük még nem nyugodott biztos alapokon. Ők aztán csomagszállító L-410-eseken és Fokker F27-esen alapozhatták meg karrierjüket, majd ülhettek át a rövidesen megjelenő diszkont légitársaságok Airbus 320-asaira vagy Boeing 737-eseire.

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Egyes európai városokban a mai napig megtalálhatók a második világháborús utcai harcok nyomai. Néhány kivételtől eltekintve, többnyire a kézifegyverek tüzétől származó golyónyomokról van szó, amelyeket az utókor nem akart eltüntetni. Hogy ez az igénytelenségre vagy e sajátos emlék megőrzésének szándékára vezethető vissza, a napnál is világosabb - az egyik helyen elkoszolódott falak, málló vakolat övezik a találatok nyomait, a másikon új funkciót találtak neki.

Az utóbbira Hollandiában, a Maastricht közelében lévő hangulatos kisváros, Valkenburg egyik sétáló utcáján láthatunk példát, nem messze a városháza parkjában kiállított német páncéltörő ágyútól. A régióban nemcsak számos harcjármű és tüzérségi fegyver emlékeztet az 1944 szeptemberében vívott harcokra, de még egy harckocsi ágyú találatából is sikerült egy emlékhelyet kialakítani. Az érintett épületet egy amerikai Sherman 75 milliméteres ágyúja találta el a városi harc közben. Valkenburg újjáépítésekor a hollandok úgy döntöttek, hogy a találat nyomát megőrzik és a mélyedésben később egy apró Mária szobor is helyet kapott.

[...] Bővebben!

The cease-fire is holding, Israeli hostages are being exchanged for Palestinian terrorists, and the stage is being set for further Israeli compromises.

What could go wrong?

Typical of the media agenda leading up to the cease-fire is the sloppy media narrative as per The Washington Post:

The conflict started when Hamas-led fighters attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 others hostage. The Israeli military responded with a brutal campaign that destroyed much of Gaza and killed at least 47,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but says the majority of the dead are women and children....in which:

• Hamas terrorists are described as "Hamas-led fighters
• The massacre is described merely as an attack, with no modifier
• While the Israeli retaliation is described with an added adjective as a brutal campaign
• At least 47,000 were killed -- despite analyses that dispute that number
• The Gaza Health Ministry is quoted, without mentioning it is controlled by Hamas
• The claim that the majority of those dead are "women and children" without mentioning contrary views
• No mention of what age range defines "children"
• No mention of the Hamas rockets landing in Gaza or how many Gazans killed by those rockets

Now, the media is framing the appropriate cease-fire narrative for their audiences. All this time, the media has carefully eschewed labeling Hamas as terrorists. This is hardly the time to describe the agreement as swapping of hostages for terrorists. Instead, we have descriptions along the lines of The New York Times:

Mere "prisoners"?

In the second paragraph, they clarify:

In the West Bank city of Ramallah, crowds of Palestinians held aloft the returning prisoners, many of whom had been jailed for deadly militant attacks against Israelis

Give The New York Times credit for at least admitting that the attacks were deadly. But many of them were guilty of "deadly attacks"?

Honest Reporting points out that actually the vast majority of the first batch of "prisoners" -- 83% -- were guilty of violent and deadly offenses.

f But the New York Times "admission" of deadly attacks does not stop them from gushing:


"One of the largest prisoner exchanges" -- a prime example of New York Times evenhandedness, equating hostages with terrorists, "some" of whom are serving life sentences, without any specifics as to why.

Speaking about that exchange, it is noteworthy that Hamas violated the agreement during the second exchange. As The Washington Post noted:Israel said Saturday that Hamas had violated the deal, which required it to release all living civilian women first. Israel had expected that Arbel Yehud, a 29-year-old civilian who was abducted with her boyfriend from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, would be among those in the Saturday release. [the article is reposted on msn.com]JNS therefore duly noted that Israel took measures to ensure that Hamas would follow through by releasing Israeli hostage Arbel Yehud as agreed:

But CNN's sloppily constructed headline could not be bothered with the facts:

The headline paints Israel in the worst possible light. It is not until the eighth paragraph that CNN deigns to inform us:Israel has been pushing for the release of Arbel Yehud, 29, who was kidnapped from her home in kibbutz Nir Oz. Israel says she is a civilian and should have been released Saturday.Not only does CNN bury this important detail, but they also make it seem that Israel is inconveniencing the hapless Hamas terrorist leaders by "pushing" for the release.

In case you are wondering just how many cease-fire violations is Hamas guilty of violating...

According to Haaretz, Hamas is guilty of 3 violations:The first, current phase of the deal was intended to be the simplest of the deal's proposed three phases. Both Hamas and Israel are thought to be committed to the so-called humanitarian part of the phase, but obstacles thrown up by both sides have threatened to stop the deal before it even began.

Hamas failed to submit to Israel the names of the hostages to be released in time, didn't release the civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud as promised and delayed issuing the list specifying which of the hostages designated for release are still alive. Israel, for its part, delayed allowing displaced residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes in response.The 3 Hamas violations are:

• Failing to submit to Israel the names of the hostages to be released in time
• Not releasing the civilian hostage Arbel Yehoud as promised
• Delaying issuing the list specifying which of the hostages designated for release are still alive

But wait! Israel also placed an obstacle preventing the smooth proceeding of the cease-fire. According to Haaretz, Israel put an obstacle in the way of the cease-fire by insisting on the release of a kidnapped hostage as per the agreement.

In their haste to be "fair" and find something to pin on Israel, Haaretz claims that "obstacles thrown up by both sides have threatened to stop the deal before it even began," But the one "obstacle" by Israel clearly happened after the cease-fire began.

Now the campaign to erase Hamas responsibility for the war begins, as CNN tells us that this is not Hamas's war at all:

After 16 months of war, we were inundated by the media agenda to reframe the Hamas massacre itself and the war that Israel had to wage to protect itself.
Now, we should prepare for the media's coverup of the cease-fire as well.

George Gilder is an American author and economist. His book, The Israel Test, was published in 2009. A new version of the book came out last year.

George Gilder (YouTube screencap)

What is so important about your book, The Israel Test, that it merits a new third edition?

The issues of The Israel Test are imperative for everyone to understand—a relaunch of the message of the essential book of my lifetime. I've been writing for nearly 70 years, and of all my books, I like The Israel Test best. It's the most personal of my books and the most fervent. It may be the most important. I write about entrepreneurship, I write about technology, I write about creativity as the paramount force in human life. It is all epitomized in the fabulous feats of Israel as the Startup Nation and now possibly the leader of the Free World.

I think Israel is transforming the world as we speak.

Briefly, what is the Israel Test?

The test is how people respond to those who excel in creativity, intellect, accomplishment, and wealth. Do you admire them and try to learn from them or do you envy them, resent them, and try to tear them down? This is the central test of the world economy and human life. When we resent those who excel us and attempt to suppress them, we doom our Human Experiment. To the extent that we admire them and emulate them, there are no limits to our achievements on this planet.

For whatever reason, most of the great breakthroughs of the century have come from Jews, and Israel now epitomizes this genius of the Jews. So when we attack Israel, we're really attacking the very source of human creativity and accomplishment in the world. That is the Israel Test.

U.S. corporations have some 70% of the global market cap and all the world's equity markets. When you examine the companies that account for this global leadership in the United States, they all have crucial, laboratories inventions, factories, research, and operations in Israel. People talk about Israel being dependent on the United States. But the U.S. is more dependent on Israel today than Israel is on the U.S. The United States is in a maelstrom at the moment, and Israel is really the inspirational leader of the world economy.

What are the biggest misconceptions about Israel's economy and the Israeli society that you debunk in your book?

First of all, the whole idea that Israel somehow is occupying something is just misconceived.

One of the reasons for the second edition of the book is that once, after I addressed a synagogue in Far Rockaway in New York, fifteen years ago, someone came up to me and gave me a beaten-up, frayed copy of a book by Walter Lowdermilk. That book is the basis for a couple of new chapters in the recent editions of The Israel Test.

Walter Lowdermilk was a Christian in the United States in the Agriculture Department under FDR. A heat wave had led to a terrible drought in the U.S. causing a crisis for US agriculture and for the West. Lowdermilk traveled around the world, in search of agricultural methods to meet this crisis. He ended up in then-Palestine and discovered amazing agricultural feats. This is back in 1938, before the establishment of the state of Israel. He found that the Jews had performed an agricultural miracle unparalleled anywhere else in the world.

Lowdermilk found that they had solved the water problem and made the desert bloom. In time, this led to desalination plants, drip irrigation, microirrigation, and the planting of a million trees. There is now an Israeli university with a Lowdermilk building because he became a hero and is recognized for his important contributions.

He reported that when the Jews moved to Palestine in the 19th century, there were only 200,000 to 300,000 Arabs in this wasteland that was really a desert. Their average lifespan was around 30 years old. When the Jews came and made the desert bloom, the Arabs crowded into Palestine to take advantage of these breakthroughs the Jews achieved. Jewish migration made a population of Palestinians possible. Without the Jewish immigration, there could not have been a sustained population because of the lack of water. Lowdermilk's book documents detailed observations and testimony about how the Jews transformed the desert and made Israel ultimately into the world's most Innovative agricultural country.

But Israel made a big mistake. They adopted socialism. By 1985, Israel was about over, approaching 1000% inflation with the economy on the verge of collapse. The Histadrut domination of banking had resulted in the bankruptcy of banks and the fall of the shekel. That was when the new government under Netanyahu led the transformation of Israel into a capitalist leader.

The real Israel Test came when Israel demonstrated that freedom, capitalism, and creativity enable human life and accomplishment. That vindication of capitalism, pioneered by Netanyahu, changed the Israel Test from a test of recognizing their agricultural changes to recognizing their technological changes. Israel was a key source of the success of Intel Corporation, the leading American semiconductor company. Nvidia achieved great success by buying an Israeli company called Melanox, making Nvidia one of the world's most valuable companies by enabling their Artificial Intelligence breakthroughs.

It begins with half the Nobel prizes and the serious Sciences and it goes on to the richest people in the world, to the most pioneering country in the world. And it's all ultimately a recognition of the incredible genius of the Jews.

The Israel Test is about how Israel's genius enriches the world.

Is the Israel Test of the Arabs different? Aside from the psychological and emotional elements of envy and hatred of the Jews, the Arab world also has a cultural aspect that you mention in your book: shame and honor. Going a step further, are those Arabs living in Israel under Jewish rule for the first time in Arab history being tested and challenged differently than any other people?

Israel is a democratic government that grants Israeli Arabs more rights than any other place in the world, except maybe the United States. Arabs do better in Israel than they do anywhere else. The million Arabs in Israel comprise 16% of all the engineers. The Arabs do well in Israel and do not support Hamas or Hezbollah activities. There are, of course, disgruntled Arabs. But I think that the Arab integration with Israeli Society and Israeli industry has been a lesson for the world and the Israel Test.

I've spent a lot of time in Israel, talking to Arab engineers. They are making crucial contributions. The ones who learn from the Jews rather than resent the Jews do brilliantly in Israel.

You write that capitalism is one of the best remedies for antisemitism. How does that work?

Capitalism is based on giving. A fundamental principle of capitalism is its dependence on the moral fabric that the Jewish and Christian traditions enabled. capitalism is the secret behind the emergence of Israel as the world's leading creative force and its world leadership. Israel did not become the Startup Nation until it adopted capitalism and they didn't employ all these Arabs either until it adopted capitalism.

Probably seven out of the ten richest people in the world are Jews. All their wealth is invested in projects and companies that employ millions of people around the world. This makes the continued triumph over human exigency possible. It explains why the genius of the Jews converges with the capitalist insights to make Israel's emergence as the leader of the West possible. Israel's amazing achievement is that this tiny country has accomplished so much, yet has only existed for 75 years. And it could only have happened with capitalism.

The American economist and political commentator Thomas Sowell makes an important observation. He studied minorities all around the globe. He acknowledges the incredible achievements of the Jews and of Israel as the spearhead. However, he also shows that a similar phenomenon exists in Asia with the overseas Chinese. There are some 40 million overseas Chinese, more overseas Chinese than there are Jews. It's not exactly comparable, but the overseas Chinese dominate the economies of Asia in the same way that Jews dominate the Middle Eastern economy--and the American economy for that matter. Millions of overseas Chinese have been killed in pogroms in Indonesia, for example. This ended up depleting the Indonesian economy for decades They imagined that the overseas Chinese were somehow stealing wealth instead of creating wealth. Wealth is created; it is not stolen.

You write that anti-Semitism withers in wealthy capitalist countries. But is that really true today?

We are slipping back into Socialism. The West is no longer so wealthy and our wealth does not distribute itself as thoroughly as in a free economy. We are socializing our economy in the name of climate change and other delusions that are inducing us to abandon capitalism. When we abandoned capitalism, people began to look for victims. They consider themselves victims and resent the wealthy. They start failing their Israel Test.

So it's not just because we're living post-October 7th?

That's right. Marxism is based on resentment of wealth. If you start resenting and tearing down wealth, you end up failing your Israel Test and bring about catastrophe. And that's our history.

One of the stories I like to tell is about World War II. It was won because the U.S. admitted Jews to lead the Manhattan Project and create the nuclear weapons that made the triumphs of the Western order possible. After the Second World War, democracy and capitalism were the fruit of the Manhattan Project, and the Manhattan Project was accomplished almost entirely by the Jewish scientists fleeing Europe.

John von Neumann is a great hero of the Israel Test. He was a pivotal figure both in the Manhattan Project and in the creation of the computer industry. He won his debate with Albert, Einstein and persuaded Israel to create a supercomputer and acquire nuclear power. Israel could not have survived without von Neumann's contributions. A Jew who fled Europe for the United States ultimately saved both Israel and The United States.

You mention the United States. Generally, antisemitism doesn't seem to be as large a problem here as it is in Europe. Why is that?

One of the reasons is that Europe accepted massive Muslim immigrants without requiring them to adopt the principles of a free society, and without requiring them to abandon their antisemitism. Europe got occupied. It's a terrible problem and it's why Trump's insight about immigration is so critical. You accept immigrants who accept the constitutional principles of your society, the key moral underpinnings of civilized society. An obsession with exterminating Jews is utterly inconsistent with the principles of any kind of free, civilized society. Europe accepted too many jihadists and it's changing their culture.

Eastern Europe is now becoming more prosperous than Western Europe because of this. It is not trivial. Eastern Europe refused Islamic migration and has managed to continue its capitalist prosperity. Poland is now one of the world's most creative and productive countries.

You write that Judaism perhaps more than any other religion favors capitalist activity and provides a rigorous moral framework for it. How so?

Capitalism is based on escape from materialism. It is based on the belief that human beings are created in the image of their Creator. These Judaic insights and principles help explain why Jews lead the world economy.

Is capitalism the escape from materialism? Some say capitalism is dependent on materialism.

No, it absolutely isn't. Many models imagine the economy is dominated by land, energy, resources, rare metals, or whatever claims they make. Actually, ideas are all the world has. As Thomas Sowell puts it, the Neanderthal in his cave had all the material resources that we have today The difference between our age and the Stone Age is entirely the triumph of intellect and ideas and the transcendence over our material bondage and our material entrapment.

What are Israel's biggest challenges in maintaining its economic growth?

Israel led the world in new venture capital in 2024. It grew its venture capital by 38% over 2024 while the U.S. expanded its venture capital, because of the advance of artificial intelligence and the transformative impact of AI on various industries. But even during this horrific war, Israel has expanded its economic leadership. That is why I say they are the leader of the West. They have to maintain their openness, creativity, and inventiveness. They can't retreat to the materialist superstition that wealth comes from the land. Israel demonstrates that wealth doesn't come from the land--it comes from the mind.

What would you like your readers to take away from The Israel Test, especially the younger readers, who may not be familiar with Israel's story?

They should understand that this is a world of abundance. They should be careful not to accept the materialist superstition that ends up resenting wealth by imagining wealth is something material that was stolen from them. And that's the crucial recognition.

We always face the Israel Test. We all have the propensity to envy people who excel us. We all feel that temptation. We must shun the material superstition and embrace the infinite possibilities of the human mind and creativity.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and concision

1940-ben új repülőgép jelent meg az amerikai haditengerészet zuhanóbombázó századainál: az SBD Dauntless. Típusjelzése feladatrendszerére, az ellenséges hadihajók felderítésére és bombázására valamint a gyártóra utalt (SBD – Scout Bomber Douglas). Hivatalos elnevezése, a Dauntless (Rettenthetetlen) is elég harciasan hangzott, de rövidesen megkapta nem hivatalos nevét is - Slow But Deadly (Lassú, De Halálos) lett.

Az Egyesült Államokban nagyjából száz évvel ezelőtt kezdődtek azok a kísérletek, amelyekkel azt vizsgálták, hogy az ellenséges hadihajókat a saját haditengerészeti erők tüzérsége és torpedói mellett, érdemes-e bombázó repülőgépekkel is támadni. A tapasztalatok azt mutatták, hogy a nagy magasságból végzett bombázás nem éri el a kívánt hatást, mert a szárazföldi célpontokkal ellentétben a vízi célok kicsik, mozognak és manővereznek. Arra jutottak, hogy inkább a repülőgép-hordozóról induló kisméretű zuhanóbombázó a megoldás, mert nagyobb valószínűséggel találja el az úszó célt, mint a hadsereg légierejének magasan és egyenesen repülő közepes- vagy nehézbombázói. Továbbá a zuhanóbombázó lelövése nem egyszerű, de ha mégis sikerül, akkor kisebb személyi veszteséggel, és olcsóbb repülőgép elvesztésével jár, mint egy két- vagy négymotoros bombázó esetében. Így vélekedtek az amerikai haditengerészetnél (US Navy) és a harmincas években több ilyen gépet is szolgálatba állítottak. Például a kétfedelű SBC Helldivert és az első egyfedelű zuhanóbombázót, az SB2U Vindicatort. A repülőgépgyárak nem ültek a babérjaikon és a következő típus Jack Northrop cégénél BT-1 jelzéssel kezdett formát ölteni.

[...] Bővebben!

1974. december 11-én a Magyar Néphadsereg (MN) egyik Kamov Ka-26-os helikoptere a légvédelmi tüzérek drégelypalánki lőteréről indult vissza börgöndi bázisára. A gép soha nem érkezett meg a Velencei-tó melletti repülőtérre, mert az útvonal első szakaszán, rossz látási viszonyok között hegynek ütközött. A becsapódást túlélő, súlyosan sérült személyzet számára immár nem a hazatérés, hanem a puszta túlélés volt a cél a Pilisben uralkodó téli időjárásban.

A Ka-26-os helikopter Magyarországon leginkább a mezőgazdasági repülésből volt ismert. A dugattyús motorokkal felszerelt, koaxiális forgószárny-elrendezésű típusból a Magyar Néphadsereg 1971-ben huszonkét darabot rendszeresített. A gépek kezdetben Szentkirályszabadjáról üzemeltek, majd egy átszervezést követően 1974 áprilisában Börgöndre költöztek, ahol a 88. önálló könnyűhelikopter osztály (fedőszáma: MN 1957) 1. századánál repültek tovább. Feladatrendszerükbe felderítés, személyszállítás, ejtőernyős deszant dobása és sebesültszállítás tartozott.

[...] Bővebben!

A tavaszi távszpottinghoz hasonló, évzáró bejegyzésbe túlnyomórészt a légiközlekedés keleti szereplői kerültek, közeliek s távoliak egyaránt. Elszaporodásuk oka egyrészt az online kereskedelemmel függ össze, az Ázsia és Európa közötti logisztikai lánc fontos szereplői ezek a szélestörzsűek. Az iparág él és virul, és ez így is marad, amíg a Távol-Keletről megrendelt „bármi” tokkal-vonóval a töredékébe kerül, mint ugyanaz a termék egy hazai plázában. A másik ok az Oroszország ellen 2022-ben bevezetett szankcióknak „köszönhető”. Több európai légitársaságnak nem éri meg nagyot kerülni a kelet felé vezető úton és egyes járatokat leállítottak. A gépeik után hagyott kondenzcsík még el sem oszlott, amikor a keletkezett rést kihasználva a kínai légitársaságok besurrantak a légiszállítási piacra. Elég, ha csak a Budapestről induló járataik desztinációit nézzük a Flightradar24-en – Peking, Ningpo, Sanghaj, Kanton, Sengcsen, Hszian, Ürümcsi, Csangsa, Ecsou városnevek olvashatók az induló utas- és áruszállító gépek célállomásai között. Lássuk hát őket és a többieket és, ha már a nyitóképen a kínai Air Central Boeing 747-ese van, kezdjük a tengerentúli, valaha szebb időket látott gyártó típusaival.

[...] Bővebben!

Une octogénaire zambienne est adulée pour ses photos de mode saisissantes et ludiques.

Az Adony Logisztikai Központ Kft. 793,4 millió forint összköltségű projektje során logisztikai tevékenységének mesterséges intelligencián és szenzortechnológián alapuló fejlesztése valósult meg.

 

A fejlesztési projekthez a cég a Széchenyi Terv Plusz program „Magyar Multi Program - A kiemelkedő teljesítményű, valamint jelentős növekedési potenciállal rendelkező mikro-, kis- és középvállalkozások támogatása” című felhívásán nyert el 317,36 millió forint feltételesen visszatérítendő európai uniós támogatást.

Az Adony Logisztikai Központ az ország közepén található, kiváló közúti, vasúti és vízi megközelítéssel rendelkezik. A telep a Magyar Logisztikai Szolgáltató Központok Szövetsége (MLSZKSZ) által minősített intermodális logisztikai szolgáltató központ. Az integrált megközelítés jegyében a projekt célja az volt, hogy a legmagasabb szintű digitalizációs technológiák alkalmazásával néhány éven belül egy okos logisztikai központ létrehozására tegye alkalmassá a társaságot. A megvalósított projekt fejlesztési elemei egymáshoz szervesen kapcsolódtak. Az intelligens ipari kamerarendszer mesterséges intelligencia segítségével javítja a telephelyen belüli navigáció és az egyes raktárak közötti irányítás hatékonyságát, ugyanakkor a valós idejű forgalmi adatokból keletkező hatalmas adatmennyiség a későbbiekben képes megteremteni annak lehetőségét, hogy a telephelyen belül teljesen önjáró, önvezető járművek és rakodógépek közlekedhessenek. Az inerciális navigáció és szenzor berendezés precíziós giroszkópok és szögsebesség mérők adatai alapján számolja ki a járművek abszolút elmozdulását, és a kiindulási ponthoz képest megtett út alapján megadja az aktuális pozíciót.

A projekt keretében beszerzett ipari rakodógépet is ellátták szenzortechnológiával, ami telemetria adatokat gyűjt a daru mozgásáról, majd azokat eltárolva egy későbbi automatizált rakodó rendszer betanításához nyújthat referencia adatokat. A hőszivattyús rendszerrel kiegészített csarnoképület a prediktív, és preventív karbantartási munkák elvégzésében játszik szerepet, a rakodó és egyéb munkagépekre szerelt szenzorok adatai alapján a berendezések szervizelése és javítása itt történik.

A mesterséges intelligencia, a szenzortechnológia és az Ipar 4.0 elemeinek egy fejlesztési projektbe történő sűrítése olyan mennyiségű és minőségű adattal látja el a vállalkozást, mely alapján a későbbiekben egyrészt további stratégiai jelentőségű beruházásokhoz nyújt biztos hátteret, másrészt olyan technológiák – a logisztikai központ területén teljes értékű önvezetés megvalósítása – bevezetését teszi lehetővé, amivel sem hazai, sem régiós szinten nem rendelkezik egy hasonló profilú vállalkozás sem. A fejlesztés egyaránt szolgál pilot projektként a jövőbeni fejlesztésekhez, illetve egyfajta best practice megoldásként a piac előtt járva. A fejlesztési projekt eredményeként az Adony Logisztikai Központ Kft. növekedési potenciálját tovább képes erősíteni, hozzájárulva ezzel a kkv státuszból történő kiemelkedéshez.

A Széchenyi Terv Plusz program GINOP_PLUSZ-1.1.2-21 számú pályázati kiírásán 317 359 524 forint támogatást elnyert, 793 398 810 forint összköltségvetésű fejlesztés 2022. június 6-án indult és 2024. október 30-án zárul.

Az autóüveg-gyártó vállalat 993,63 millió forint összköltségű projektje során újgenerációs innovatív hátsóüveg termékcsaládok kifejlesztése valósult meg. A projekthez az AGC Glass Hungary Kft. a Széchenyi Terv Plusz program „Vállalati kutatási, fejlesztési és innovációs tevékenységek ösztönzése” című felhívásán 399,91 millió forint vissza nem térítendő európai uniós támogatást nyert el.

A projekt keretében olyan újgenerációs hátsóüveg termékcsalád és gyártási technológiájának kifejlesztése történt, ami az AGC versenytársainak termékeinél magasabb minőséggel és funkcionalitással rendelkezik, valamint megfelel a rendkívül magas vevői igényeknek és tömeggyártásra érett. Az új modellekhez használható újgenerációs hátsóüveg típus kifejlesztéséhez, teszteléséhez, prototípusok gyártásához az eddigi termelési rendszer önmagában nem volt alkalmas a vevők által megkövetelt technikai, műszaki tartalommal, így a sikeres termékfejlesztéshez, a sorozatgyártás elindításához vált szükségessé a technológiai háttér megfelelő fejlesztése is.

A gazdaságban általánosan és így az autóiparon belül is az utóbbi években felgyorsultak az adatok feldolgozását segítő technológiai fejlesztések. Az AGC eddigi infrastruktúrája ezt még nem tette lehetővé, ezért mindenképpen elengedhetetlen volt az ezirányú fejlesztések elvégzése. A projekt megvalósításához olyan adatokra is szükség volt, amik eddig nem voltak mérhetőek, így szükségessé vált a megfelelő mérőeszközöket kifejleszteni, telepíteni és rendszerhez illeszteni, mert a projekt céljainak eléréséhez nem álltak rendelkezésre kész, piacon kapható megoldások.

A K+F projekt egyik fókuszpontja az üveg minőségének a javítása és a kieső selejtek csökkentése volt azzal, hogy az AGC a termelési folyamatában olyan paramétereket monitorozzon, amikről pontosan kideríthető, hogy milyen összefüggésben vannak a termék minőségi mutatóival és még a termelési folyamat során közbe tudjanak avatkozni, ha szükséges.

A korábban alkalmazott, PLC-re alapozott technológia nem volt képes nagy mennyiségű adatot megfelelő sebességgel feldolgozni, ezért szükségessé vált egy olyan architektúra, ami IT-s eszközöket használ a termelésből gyűjtött nagy mennyiségű adat (“big data”) elemzéséhez. Ezektől a fejlesztésektől azt várják, hogy az új, gyártás szempontjából nagyobb kihívást jelentő termékeket is megfelelő minőségben és darabszámban tudnak gyártani, így a K+F tevékenységük részét képező modelleket is.

A fejlesztéseknek köszönhetően már a tervezett próbagyártás előtt – akár már az árajánlatadásnál vagy az első gyártás előtt – “offline” módon fel tud készülni a Társaság (termelés, mérnökség, minőségügy és a projektvezető) a gyártásra egy hasonló modell adatait felhasználva. Ezzel a próbagyártásra felhasznált időt csökkenteni, a próbagyártás hatékonyságát növelni lehet és jobb minőségű üveget lehet gyártani.

A Széchenyi Terv Plusz program GINOP_PLUSZ-2.1.1-21 számú pályázati kiírásán 399 910 040 forint támogatást elnyert, 993 633 319 forint összköltségvetésű fejlesztés 2022. február 1-én indult és 2024. június 30-án zárul.

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.

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.

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.

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.