Landmines in Israel

Landmines in Israel have been a problem since the 1950s and 1960s. Campaigns to clear the landmines, led by a coalition of civil-society organizations, mine-affected communities and land mine survivors, operated from 2009 to 2011, until the Knesset passed the Minefield Clearance Act.^[1] According to this law, the Israel Mine Action Authority was established and began clearing minefields in 2012.

History

Around 1.2 million^[2] land mines laid during the 1950s and 1960s contaminate a combined area of 50,000 acres in the Golan Heights, in the Arava Valley and along the Jordan River.^[3] This includes more than 300,000 land mines contaminating 5,000 acres of agricultural and residential land in the West Bank, with unexploded ordnance further making sites inaccessible.^[4] A State Comptroller audit conducted in the late 1990s found that hundreds of minefields no longer contributed to Israel's security and that no government agency had presented a plan to clear them.^[5]

Legislation

Three unsuccessful attempts to offer a legal solution to the land mine problem were proposed in the early 2000s.^[6][7][8] In 2009, Jerry White, an American who survived a mine incident in the Golan Heights, drafted a call to action and a legal framework for humanitarian demining in Israel.^[9] In February 2010, 11-year-old Israeli boy Daniel Yuval lost his leg to land mine while walking in the snow in the Golan Heights. Following this incident, Daniel joined the Mine-Free Israel and petitioned the Prime Minister and Members of Knesset to support the draft bill.^[10] The campaign secured the support of 73 Members of Knesset, as well as the Government, and became a law on March 14, 2011.^[11]

Demining

Following the adoption of the bill, the State of Israel established its National Mine Action Authority, which began work in the Arava Valley in 2012.^[12] In 2013, demining activity continued in the Arava and spread to the West Bank and the Golan Heights.^[13]

References

1. Knesset 2011.
2. Hashmonai 2010.
3. AP 2011.
4. Peper 2011.
5. White 2010, p. xviii
6. Knesset 2002.
7. Knesset 2003.
8. Knesset 2004.
9. Sobelman 2010.
10. Bronner 2010.
11. Lev 2011.
12. Rinat 2012.
13. INMAA 2013

• Bronner, Ethan (May 13, 2010). "Leg Lost to Land Mine, Boy, 11, Moves Israel". The New York Times.
• White, Jerry; Tirza Leibowitz; Dhyan Or (2010). Explosive Litter. pp. xviii–xxv.
• "Site of Jesus' Baptism Literally Remains a Minefield". Fox News. Associated Press. January 20, 2011.
• Sobelman, Batsheva (February 8, 2010). "Israel: Land of Landmines". Los Angeles Times.
• Hashmonai, Adi (February 7, 2010). בכיר בצבא: יש מאות שדות מוקשים לא מגודרים [Army Senior: There are Hundreds of Unfenced Minefields] (in Hebrew). nrg Maariv.
• Pfeffer, Anshel (2011). "IDF is Working to Clear the Minefields in the Jordan Valley and the Arava". Haaretz.
• Stoil, Rebecca Anna (September 20, 2010). "Campaign Targets Land Mine Awareness". The Jerusalem Post.
• Rinat, Zafrir (October 17, 2012). "Clearance of land mines from Arava under way despite greens' concerns". Haaretz.
• Lev, David (March 15, 2011). "Historic Measure to Remove Land Mines Passes Knesset Vote". Arutz Sheva.
• Or, Dhyan; H. K. (2011). "Clearing Minefields in Israel and the West Bank". The Journal of ERW and Mine Action. 15 (3).
• "Private Law No. 368" (rtf). The Knesset, Israel. 2011.
• "Bill Proposal No. 4049," (rtf). The Knesset, Israel. 2002.
• "Bill Proposal No. 19," (rtf). The Knesset, Israel. 2003.
• "Bill Proposal No. 2770," (rtf). The Knesset, Israel. 2004.
• INMAA, Israel National Mine Action Authority, official website, accessed October 9, 2013: http://web.archive.org/web/20130927204124/http://www.inmaa.org.il/