The revolution and pacts (64). The 1949 Armistice Agreements (III). Demilitarised zones & no-man's-land. In military terms, a demilitarised zone (DMZ) is an area, usually the frontier or boundary between two or more military powers (or alliances), where military activity is not permitted, usually by peace treaty, armistice, or other bilateral or multilateral agreement. Often the demilitarised zone lies upon a line of control and forms a de-facto international border. Generally, demilitarised means converted to non-military use or purpose, returned to a civilian field. Although many demilitarised zones are also neutral territory, since neither side is allowed to control it even for civilian administration, there are cases where a zone remains demilitarised after an agreement awarding full control to one state, which relinquished the normal right to establish any military forces or installations there. It is also possible for powers to agree on the demilitarisation of a zone without formally settling their still conflicting territorial claims, implying these are only to be pursued by peaceful means (such as diplomatic dialogue or an international court). Through the creation of demilitarised zone(s) the two parties agree to limit or completely prohibit the positioning of Armed Forces and fortifications. For example, there was a demilitarised zone between Syria and Israel, and another between Egypt and Israel at Uja al-Hafir. All the armistice agreements between four Arab states and Israel established limitation of forces zones or defensive areas. The armistice agreement between Egypt and Israel stated that in the north of the Gaza Strip, Israeli forces had to withdraw, but Egyptian forces could not advance, though this was not called a demilitarised zone. No-man's-land means an area without a sovereign, or, the area between the lines of the two armies. All the armistice agreements signed by the Arab states and Israel stipulated that no civilian may cross the area between the lines. When states move from a ceasefire to an armistice, they normally try to divide among themselves the no-man's land. In the West Bank, between the ceasefire lines of 1948 and the armistice lines of 1949 all the no-man's land was divided, except at Latroun and Jerusalem. Jordanian and Iraqi forces withdrew from the Little Triangle and Wadi Ara. [email protected]
