The recent ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has offered a glimmer of hope for northern Israeli cities bordering Lebanon to return to normal life, according to officials.
Israel and Hezbollah ended their nearly 14-month-long conflict as a ceasefire agreement went into effect on Nov 27.
The truce is a good news to border regions including Israel's northernmost city Kiryat Shmona. The city, which lies in the valley with the Lebanon border up on the hill, suffered more than any other city in all of Israel's conflicts with its northern neighbor.
City officials expressed hope that the ceasefire would pave the way for a return to normalcy, with residents resuming their daily lives and businesses reopening.
"A lot of people start coming back. Businesses start to open again. I know that as long as the ceasefire will continue, we are starting to plan the coming back of all the city," said Ofir Yehezkeli, the deputy mayor of Kiryat Shmona.
The road to recovery is long and arduous. Tens of homes in Kiryat Shmona were directly hit by Hezbollah rockets, leaving significant damage and displacement. The city faces a massive rebuilding effort, particularly in the housing sector.
"They will get rent salary from the government and they can rent or if they want, stay in hotels for a few months until they recover their houses," said Yehezkeli.
However, concerns remain about how long the ceasefire can hold, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday accused Hezbollah of violating the ceasefire agreement and vowed a "forceful response" after the group launched two mortars near the border earlier in the day.
Hezbollah, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said it targeted Israeli military posts in the contested area known as Mount Dov in Israel and Shebaa Farms in Lebanon. The group described the fire as a "warning defensive response" to what it called "repeated Israeli violations" of the ceasefire.
Ceasefire brings hope for normalcy to northern Israeli city
Senior representatives from major regional news media organizations, gathering at the ongoing 12th Global Video Media Forum (VMF) in China, say they are looking to amplify the voices of the media in the Global South to help consolidate cooperation and friendship in an ever more challenging global environment.
The forum opened in Quanzhou in east China's Fujian Province on Tuesday, bringing together 200 media representatives from over 60 countries and regions in the historic coastal city.
By working more closely together, media organizations in the Global South can reap rewards that might otherwise be unavailable, according to Ahmed Nadeem, Secretary-General of the Asia-Pacific Broadcast Union.
"If we work together, there is an opportunity for us to bring out the best from these Global South countries who have much less resources," he said.
Other media representatives at the VMF stressed that in challenging times, it is even more important for developing countries to have their voices heard on the global stage.
"[The Global] South media have a lot of responsibility to build a new opinion," said Issoufou Sare, Director-General of BF1 Television.
"[The media can provide] solutions for misunderstandings or stereotypes. So the media have a major role. They can bridge our cultures and make us know each other better," said Feten Fardi, head of Arab and International Cooperation Unit, Arab States Broadcasting Union.
The event also witnessed the launch of the "Global South Media Dialogue and Cooperation Mechanism and Joint Initiative," a program to support closer cooperation led by China Media Group.
"That will help to promote our voices, our realities to make the world know better about our customs, realities, about our history, about our culture, customs, about our problems, but also our achievements," said Martin Hacthoun, chief editor of Press Latina News Agency.
The two-day VMF is being held under the theme "Intelligence Without Frontiers, Vision Beyond The Horizon -- Media's Role in Communication and Cultural Exchange."
Launched by the CCTV Video News Agency (CCTV+) in 2011, the VMF is an annual professional journalism forum focusing on the latest trends and innovations in news and journalism, which provides a highly specialized, unique and interactive platform for domestic and foreign media peers.
Media groups aim to amplify voice of Global South at VMF
