FACT SHEET:

The Problem of Landmines and UXO in the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Prepared by Defence for Children International/Palestine Section

· Although the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is well known internationally, the problem of landmines and UXO has been ignored, as has the plight of the people affected. To date, the Israeli government has refused to sign the Ottawa Treaty, and the PNA, as a non-state entity, does not have the legal status to sign or ratify international treaties. The PNA, however, has stated that it would be willing to do so, were it allowed.

· Palestine suffers from a dual problem of both landmines and UXO.

· After decades of war and on-going military occupation, Palestinians in the OPT have been left with thousands of antipersonnel and antitank landmines, and unexploded munitions remnants on their lands.

· Since the onset of the Israeli occupation in 1967, thousands of dunums of Palestinian land have been confiscated for Israeli military training. Following training, or in between sessions, the Israeli military departs leaving behind numerous UXO. This is particularly hazardous in Palestine as children often play in the open areas during summer and school holidays. Also, given the agricultural nature of the community, people often graze livestock in the open areas. Moreover, the training often takes place in inhabited regions, right next to or in the middle of Palestinian villages. In more than one instance, Palestinians living near these areas have been killed or wounded during the actual training itself.

· The number of landmines planted in the Occupied Palestinian Territory is not exactly known and there are no precise and comprehensive published statistics available from any source. According to Israeli and Palestinian military experts, the majority of the landmines planted in the OPT are U.S., British, or Israeli-made mines. Israel has officially declared the locations of 16 minefields that are neither cleared nor properly secured or identified with warning signs. However, Palestinian military experts believe that there are a large number of other undisclosed minefields. These undeclared minefields are located in the first defense lines between Jordan and the West Bank and in the second defense lines in the Jordan Valley and in other strategic areas leading to the central areas of the West Bank.

· In 1993, an interim peace agreement was signed between the Israeli Government and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The ensuing agreements resulted in an initial redeployment of the Israeli army from parts of the OPT and the division of the West Bank into zones: A, B, C. Currently, Zone A, which represents around 17% of the total land of the West Bank, is under the control of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA). Zone B (20.5%) is under the civil administration of the PNA and under the security control of the Israeli army, and Zone C (61.1%) is under the complete control of the Israeli army. The Israeli occupation authorities remain in control of approximately 1/3 of the Gaza Strip, while the PNA has jurisdiction over the other 2/3.

· Due to the absence of information on the various issues related to the problem of landmines and UXO, DCI/PS conducted, in 1997, a comprehensive field research on the magnitude and effects of the problem of landmines and UXO in the West Bank. The research revealed that tens of Palestinians fall victim to landmines and UXO explosions each year, an estimated 2,500 injured or killed since 1967. According to DCI/PS research and documentation, an overwhelming majority of the victims of landmines and UXO are Palestinian children.

· Since 1997, DCI/PS has documented 37 Palestinians injured or killed by landmines or UXO. Of those, 30 were children, with 7 killed and 23 injured.

· DCI/PS research revealed that most landmine survivors are male, uneducated, from low-income families living in agricultural areas.

· Compounding the problem is the fact that most of the landmine fields are not properly fenced or signed and that awareness among portions of the civilian population is low. Moreover, existing infrastructure for supporting victims is weak and insufficient.

· According to DCI/PS documentation, most of the explosions occur in the rural areas of Zone C. At present, Palestinians have restricted or no access to large areas of land in Zones B and C, for “security reasons,” especially border areas and areas close to Israeli military training fields.

· With further re-deployment of the Israeli army and the hand over of those areas to the PNA, the mobility of Palestinians in those areas will increase and therefore the risk will increase. It is imperative that this issue be addressed now in order to avoid the high number of casualties that occurred following the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

In April 1999, Defence for Children International/Palestine Section launched the Mine Action Project, an initiative to address the problem of landmines and UXO in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). The project is the first of its kind in the OPT and was developed based on the findings of the aforementioned research. The project incorporates a range of actions aimed at pressuring the Israeli government and the PNA to address the landmine and UXO problem in the OPT during the current negotiations, providing support to survivors, raising community awareness regarding preventing landmine and UXO explosions, building local capacity to support the victims, and conducting research and establishing data base for landmine victims.

For more information about the DCI/PS project, or about the problem of landmines and UXO in the OPT, please contact: DCI/PS, P.O. Box 55201, Jerusalem; Tel: (+972 2) 240 7530/Fax: (+972 2) 240 7018, Email: dcipal@palnet.com