Israeli film director decries tragic reality of children as major war victims

Award-winning Israeli film director Ari Folman has poignantly highlighted the relentless cycle of war as the most horrific and useless thing, shedding light on the tragic reality of children as major victims of war, particularly evident in the Gaza Strip.

Folman, a veteran of the 1982 Lebanon War, is renowned for his film "Waltz with Bashir." He integrated animation and documentary in this film to offer a unique glimpse into his personal odyssey through the painful memories of that conflict. The film won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film and was nominated for an Oscar.

Folman had an exclusive interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) 24 hours before Oct. 1, coinciding with Iran's large-scale missile strike on Israel, escalating tensions throughout the Middle East.

"War is the most horrific, useless thing that humankind ever invented. I think children in general, since history, they're the major victims of war. They didn't choose to be where they were, where they are. And the fact that we have 15,000, at least, children in Gaza that were killed during this war, is a disastrous, and absolute disaster for me," he said.

The director noted that many people share his view that war is disastrous but remain silent, while others may have lost empathy towards ongoing conflict in Gaza due to being shielded from the true toll of the war.

"But if you are a news watcher, like most Israelis, and you watch every day the eight o'clock news, you will have no clue whatsoever what is going on in Gaza. Nothing. And you will be told that the numbers are fake. They have nothing to do. And if you somehow happen to see bodies of children in Gaza, you will be told that it's AI. It never really happened. And if it did, it's not to that extent. So, it's really hard, I think, to create a movement of empathy towards what is going on in Gaza if they never screen what is going on in Gaza," Folman said.

The director said nothing gives him hope this year as witnessing the recurrence of war, reminiscent of his time as a soldier in Lebanon, which left him haunted by painful memories.

"My relapse memories, PTSD memories, are always on one stage, which is this current stage we are in today. It's before ground invasions. Because of my time in Lebanon as a soldier, we had this waiting period of six weeks before the army invaded to western Beirut, and the tension and the anxiety was piling up before the ground invasion. So I have this thing ever since -- it's 42 years now -- that whenever there is an expectation or a suspense before a ground invasion, either to Lebanon or like it was in Gaza nearly a year ago, I kind of freak out, because my memories flood me. I always wish that it will not happen again. But it always happens again," Folman said.

Israeli film director decries tragic reality of children as major war victims

Israeli film director decries tragic reality of children as major war victims

A delegation of 40 students and teachers from seven Chinese mainland universities on Thursday wrapped up their nine-day visit to Taiwan. They set off for Taiwan on Nov. 27 and visited universities, historical sites, scenic spots, as well as sports, sci-tech and cultural venues on the island, widely engaging with locals throughout the tour.

The delegation made the tour at the invitation of the Taiwan-based Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation.

"The young people from both sides of the Strait share the same root, and we are having a harmonious communication this time. We also welcome young people from Taiwan to visit the mainland for exchange," Cao Yibo, a student from Peking University, told reporters during the tour.

The delegation included table tennis Olympic champion Ma Long who studies at Beijing Sport University, and air rifle Olympic champion Yang Qian of Tsinghua University.

"In the future, I would like to visit Taiwan again. I did not expect that so many compatriots in Taiwan would come to welcome and us and pay so much attention to our exchange tour," Ma said.

Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Culture and Education Foundation, saw off the delegation at the airport on Thursday, and said the mainland students and teachers had received Taiwan residents' heartfelt welcome wherever they went.

"The farewell dinner party was held yesterday evening, when almost all students from the mainland shared their feelings. What moved me so much is that every one of them thanked people here, because the latter sincerely and warmly welcomed them wherever they went during the nine-day tour. They told me that when they go back, they will tell their relatives and friends that people in Taiwan are kind, hospitable and warm. I believe that is the most important purpose of the exchange across the Strait," he said.

Calling youth exchanges a foundation of cross-Strait relations in the future, Hsiao said the foundation will carry on and continue to promote such exchanges across the Strait.

This is the second delegation of mainland teachers and students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, following the visit by a first delegation in July last year.

Delegation of mainland university students, teachers wraps up Taiwan visit