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Palestine
Mine Ban Policy
Mine Ban Policy
Governance of the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), including Gaza and parts of the West Bank, is assigned to the Palestinian National Authority (PA). Two Palestinian factions, Hamas in Gaza and Fatah in the West Bank, both claim to be the legitimate governing authority of the OPT. Neither faction has made any recent public statements on its policy toward banning antipersonnel mines. The PA-Fatah sent a representative to the May 2009 intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva, its first participation in Mine Ban Treaty-related meetings since the First Meeting of States Parties in Mozambique in May 1999.
Use, production, transfer, and stockpiling
Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor did not find any credible allegations of use of antipersonnel mines or mine-like devices by any Palestinian entity during this reporting period (from May 2009 to May 2010).[1]
In May 2009, Egyptian authorities seized 48 antipersonnel mines, among other weapons, allegedly destined for Palestinian groups in Gaza.[2]
[1] Palestinian militias are considered expert in the production and use of command-detonated improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The Mine Ban Treaty prohibits use of victim-activated IEDs and booby-traps, which function as antipersonnel mines, but does not prohibit use of command-detonated IEDs. Media and other reports are not always clear whether devices involved in explosive incidents in the OPT are victim-activated or command-detonated, and reports often use a number of terms interchangeably, citing the use of bombs, landmines, booby-traps, and IEDs.
[2] “Israel praises Egypt for counter-terror ops,” Independent Media Review and Analysis, 17 May 2009, www.imra.org.il.
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