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I. Introduction

Documenting violations committed against Palestinian children and raising local and international awareness regarding those violations represent an important activity of DCL/PS. Through this process, we became aware of the seriousness of the problem of landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO) and munitions remnants left behind by the Israeli army in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) which result in the killing and injury of tens of children every year. In 1997, DCIIPS decided to further investigate the subject through field research. A sample of landmine and UXO victims from various areas of the West Bank was interviewed. The results of the research showed that the magnitude and complexity of the problem is much larger than we thought. The study gave us the opportunity to know about catastrophes of hundreds of victims and their families; some of whom kept their suffering within themselves and had not even reported the incidents for fear of being arrested or harassed by the Israeli army. DCIIPS believes that unless quick actions are taken soon, the problem will grow in the near future and more innocent victims will be killed or maimed. The study showed that most landmine and UXO explosions took place in areas under the Israeli security control (zones C and B)1. Palestinians have restricted or no access to large areas of land in zones B and C at the moment for 'security reasons'. With further redeployment of the Israeli army and hand over of new areas to the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), the mobility of Palestinians in those areas will increase and therefore the risk will increase. One of the disturbing issues is the fact that the problem of landmines and UXO has not been raised yet in the negotiations between the Palestinian and the Israeli Authorities.

11. Objectives of the seminar:

Within its new program cycle (1998-2001), DCIIPS developed a "Mine Action" project which addresses the problem of landmines and UXO in a comprehensive manner. DCIIPS strongly believes that one organization will not be able to address such a serious and complicated problem alone and that the success of the program requires the cooperation of a large number of Palestinian, Israeli, and international organizations as well as the involvement of various Palestinian community organizations.

This seminar represents the first step in implementing the program. The main objectives of the seminar are:

1. To highlight the problem of landmines and UXO in the Palestinian territories in terms of its magnitude, causes, effects, and means for control.

2. To benefit from international experiences on how to deal with the problem.

3. To study strategies for cleaning the Palestinian territories from landmines and UXO and for raising the awareness of the Palestinian civilians on prevention measures.

4. To create interest in the subject among the participants and to study strategies for strengthening cooperation and networking among interested organizations to control the problem and to support the victims and address their needs.

1.2. Agenda of the Seminar:

The seminar was held on the 25"' and 26th of March, 1998. The agenda of the seminar focused on the following areas

1. A presentation and discussion of the problem of landmines at the local and international levels with specific focus on the Palestinian situation.

2. A presentation and discussion of the results of DCLIP S's study of the problem of landmines and UXO in the West Bank2.

3. Case studies: presentations by landmine and UXO victims on their personal experiences and the difficulties and suffering that the victims face.

4. A presentation and analysis of the locations of minefields and Israeli military training areas in the West Bank and technical issues related to clearing minefields.

5. A review and analysis of the Ottawa process and convention on banning landmines.

6. A presentation on experiences of other countries in dealing with the problem of landmines.

7. Workshops on strategies and actions for clearing the Palestinian territories from landmines, raising community awareness and supporting landmine victims.

8. Final recommendations of the seminar.

1.3. Participants:

Seventy-three persons participated. Those persons represented Palestinian Ministries, members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Embassies, Consulates, Representative offices to the PNA, Palestinian national security leadership, Palestinian non- governmental organizations, international organizations, Israeli organizations, interested individuals, landmine victims and their families, and staff of DCIIPS . Tens of participants from the Gaza Strip were unable to attend the seminar as a result of the closure of the Gaza Strip and restrictions imposed by the Israeli authority on issuing permits to enter the West Bank.

Due to the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip, it was not possible to include the Gaza Strip in the study. Therefore, most of the results presented in this report cover the West Bank only.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgement Table of contents 1. Introduction 1.1 Objectives of the seminar 1 2 Agenda of the Seminar 1 3 Participants 2. Activities of the First Day 2.1. Opening remarks by DCIIPS 2 2 Landmine problem, at the international and local levels 2 3. A presentation of DCIIPS's research 2.4. Case studies: Presentations by landmine and UXO victims on their personal experiences

2.5. Locations of minefields and Israeli military training areas in the West Bank and technical issues related to clearing minefields

2.6. A review and analysis of the Ottawa process and convention on banning anti-personnel landmines

2.7. Experiences of other countries in dealing with the problem of landmines

3. Activities of the second day 3.1 Workshops 3.1.1. The first workshop: cleaning the Palestinian territories from landmines and UXO

3.1.2. The second Workshop: community awareness on the problem of landmines

3 1 3 The third Workshop: Supporting Victims and Their Famihes

3.2. The Final Session: Suggestions and Recommendations

Appendices

Appendix 1: Agenda of the workshop

Appendix 2: List of Participants Appendix 3: Ottawa Convention to ban landmines

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Organisation Contact Details:

Defence for Children International - Palestine Section
PO Box 55201
Jerusalem, Israel
Tel: +972 2 242 7530
Email: dci@dci-pal.org
Website: www.dci-pal.org

Last updated 26/03/2001 04:47:13

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Problem of Landmines , Unexploded Ordnance and Munitions Remanants in the Palestinian Territories

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