Palestine Becomes an Official State Party to Anti-landmine Treaty

Geneva – As of 1 June 2018, Palestine is legally bound by the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, “to never, under any circumstances, use, produce or transfer anti-personnel mines.”

By 28 November 2018, Palestine will have to present a first formal transparency report stating the landmine situation in Palestine and accordingly, will have to destroy any stockpiled mines within the next four years, demine any contaminated areas within the next ten, and undertake to assist victims and survivors of these weapons so that they can live on an equal basis with other members of society.

At the Sixteenth Meeting of the States Parties to the Convention in December 2017 in Vienna, Palestine indicated that it had developed a mine strategy to clear mined areas under its control, and that it did not produce anti-personnel mines. It is expected that the 28 November report will also include information on the number of victims of these weapons in Palestine.

The Convention, adopted and signed in 1997, entered into force in 1999. To date, all but six of 164 States Parties no longer have stockpiling destruction obligations; together these States have destroyed more than 51 million landmines. Under the Convention, 30 of 61 mine-affected States have declared completion of their mine clearance obligation, freeing for normal use millions of square metres of land. All but 33 of the world’s States have joined the Convention; most however, obey its norms.