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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
Owner: Nisreen Khalaf and Kahalid Nabris