A/HRC/44/60 as it would still constitute a serious violation of international law and still requiring a concerted reaction by the international community. Opposition to the planned annexation has grown steadily in the last few weeks. On 23 June, more than 1,080 parliamentarians from 25 European countries wrote to European government and leaders against the Israeli planned annexation.27 On 26 June, the Belgian Chamber of Representatives, called, in a sweeping vote, for the creation of a list of potential “counter-measures” should the planned annexation take place. 19. Israeli occupation has for decades continued to impose conditions on the ground that entail serious human rights violations against Palestinians. The planned annexation will further aggravate and intensify these violations and will affect millions of Palestinians living in the occupied West Bank and the Jordan Valley. It may well lead to forcible displacement of various communities living in the area which include hundreds of thousands of Palestinians; expulsion and confiscation of their property; control of their natural resources; and would possibly complicate their status further leading to the statelessness of many. The outcome of such an annexation would further entrench a two-tier system in which two people are ruled by the same power, but with profoundly unequal rights. Communities living in areas threatened by annexation, particularly in the Jordan Valley, already suffer discrimination and neglect while their properties have been demolished or have received demolition orders by Israeli military authorities. Those communities are in dire need of protection as their situation would become much more fragile with the prospect of the annexation. F. The International Criminal Court (ICC) 20. The Special Rapporteur welcomes the ICC Prosecutor’s announcement of 20 December 2019, when the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, released a statement in which she determined that there is a reasonable basis to initiate an investigation into the situation in Palestine, pursuant to article 53(1) of the ICC Statute. While the Prosecutor deferred the final determination on the scope of the territorial jurisdiction to the Pre-Trial Chamber, it is the Prosecutor’ s view that the Court has jurisdiction over the situation in Palestine, extending to the Occupied Palestinian territory, namely West Bank, including East Jerusalem and Gaza28. On 30 April 2020, the Prosecutor reiterated her position on the scope of the Court’s territorial jurisdiction29. G. Human Rights Violations by the Hamas Authorities in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority. 21. Cases of arbitrary arrest and detention by the de-facto authorities in Gaza continued to be reported, particularly of journalist, human rights and political activists. On 9 April, a number of Palestinian activists were arrested and detained by the de-facto authorities after being accused of engaging in “normalization activities with Israel”. A small group of activists had organized a zoom call with young Israeli activists to discuss living conditions in Gaza.30 Many continue to be arrested because of their political affiliation and perceived opposition to the Hamas authorities. Serious restrictions on freedom of expression continue to be in place particularly in the context of reporting on the socio-economic impact of the COVID19 pandemic.31 In June, a number of persons were arrested by the de-facto authorities in Gaza, as they expressed opposing political views and attempted to organize events that were banned by security forces. 27 28 29 30 31 6 https://www.scribd.com/document/466688615/Letter-by-European-Parliamentarians-Against-IsraeliAnnexation. https://www.icc-cpi.int/Pages/item.aspx?name=20191220-otp-statement-palestine. https://www.icc-cpi.int/CourtRecords/CR2020_01746.PDF. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/world/middleeast/rami-aman-palestinian-activist-arrested.html. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/press-releases/palestine-critics-hamas-and-palestinian-authorityarrested-during covid-19-pandemic.