Repeated Israeli military incursions and operations in southern Syria have severely disrupted the daily lives and livelihoods of residents in Beit Jinn, a village near the Golan Heights.
Walid Akasha, the head of Beit Jinn village, noted that Israeli military vehicles frequently appear in the area known locally as "Ayn al-Kurum," leaving local farmers in constant fear and uncertainty.
"In the Ayn al-Kurum area, such incursions occur almost every day -- or, at the very least, every other day. Residents live in constant fear. We suffer greatly from explosions and shelling. Last night, they (the Israeli forces) fired rockets; shrapnel from the rockets landed inside people's homes. Had anyone been sitting outside at the time, they could easily have been struck by the shrapnel. Even walking along the road, one risks being hit. The shrapnel could be lethal," he said.
Grape farming is a vital lifeline for local families, but Israeli military presence in the fields has driven many young people away from their orchards. Their farmland sits right before their eyes, yet they cannot cultivate.
"Residents dare not go to their own vineyards, for fear that the Israelis might detain them. We worry that our names could appear on a wanted list; consequently, many young people avoid going to their own farmland, terrified of being targeted by the Israeli authorities. We live in a constant state of fear and anxiety, which is compounded, in particular, by drones' persistent roar that we hear from morning until night," said Walid.
For many residents, even home is no longer a safe haven. Umm Muhammad, a local resident of Beit Jinn, recalled a harrowing Israeli raid on her house.
"They (the Israeli forces) ordered us to lie face down on the ground, we refused. Then, they ordered us to sit where we were, without moving. We went inside the house to wake the children, fearing that something might happen. When we tried to leave our home, they demanded that we stay put for 20 minutes, warning that if we disobeyed, they would open fire on us," she said.
Though the soldiers eventually left, Umm Muhammad said the raid never truly ended for her family. Even now, the sound of a drone flying over the village triggers intense anxiety in her children, with any sight of military vehicles or sound of distant gunfire bringing the terror of that day flooding back.
"The children are in a constant state of fear, especially when they are at school. They are at a complete loss, unsure whether to go home or stay at school. Even my young granddaughter is terrified; she keeps saying that we must hide, because they (the Israeli military) have previously shelled the area and opened fire," she said.
Israeli military operations in southern Syria disrupt livelihoods in border village
Former UN Under-Secretary-General Erik Solheim has called for greater global cooperation and trade dialogue with China, highlighting the country's rapid expansion in green technology and renewable energy.
Solheim emphasized that China plays a key role in global governance, citing its progress over the past decade in addressing environmental degradation and curbing pollution.
"China is now the indispensable leader for the green transformation and the leader in poverty alleviation. So the world has a lot to learn from Chinese experiences, and China should make those lessons available for other nations to learn from," said Solheim.
Reflecting on the past decade, Solheim highlighted that China has transitioned from a passive participant to a dominant force in green technology.
"The biggest change in the last 10 years is that China has moved from somewhat in the back seat on the environment at that time and now being the leader on every green development. And whatever green technology you can mention, China is totally dominant and has brought it down in price, which is an enormous service to the world," said Solheim.
"But China has also been fantastic in establishing national parks in tree planting, in curbing pollution. So it's so refreshing, so important China has been able to do moving from back seat to the front seat on the environment," he said.
Solheim also highlighted China's contribution to global renewable energy, noting that its industrial scale has driven down costs and made clean technology affordable around the world.
"You go green and you go prosperous. That's by far the most important gift from China to the world. Indonesia, Ethiopia, Brazil, they all want Chinese investment. And China can drive electric cars, solar panels, windmills in all these nations. You see a lot of that, but we want to see more so that technology is shared and so that jobs and prosperity is growing," he said.
"The big issue here is that China is now so super efficient making solar panels or electric cars so much better than anyone else, that there is a scary affair in Europe and that Europe is not competitive. You may say that in the past when Europe dominated the car industry, no one was worried, but now when China is dominating electric cars, Europe is very worried. So the solution to this in my view is more joint ventures, companies and constant trade negotiations to find the right balance between the Chinese efficiency and the European desire for jobs in Europe. Because the alternative to that is protectionism, that will simply make everyone more poor. Protectionism will harm Europe and it will harm China and we should avoid it," he added.
Beyond economic ties, Solheim called for expanded cultural and educational exchanges. Increased tourism and student visits would help foster mutual understanding and deepen cross-cultural dialogue between Europe and China, he noted.
Former UN official highlights China's green transformation, urges EU-China dialogue
