A/HRC/44/60 14. The Special Rapporteur also welcomes the release of a database on business enterprises involved in certain activities relating to Israeli settlements in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, as an important initial step towards accountability and an end to impunity. The Special Rapporteur calls for the database to become a living tool, with sufficient resources to be updated annually. D. Arbitrary Detention 15 Israel has continued its use of arbitrary detention, including administrative detention without charge. At the end of March 2020, there were around 5,000 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli prisons, including 432 administrative detainees and 43 women prisoners19.In addition, 183 of these prisoners were children, 20 under the age of 16. With regards to children, in the latest report of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict, the Secretary General reiterated his call upon Israel to uphold international juvenile justice standards and cease the use of administrative detention for children, end all forms of ill-treatment in detention, as well as cease any attempted recruitment of detained children as informants.20 16. As highlighted also in the previous report of the Special Rapporteur, Israel’s use of administrative detention in contravention of international legal obligations continues to be a serious concern. This issue has been raised previously by the Human Rights Committee and the Committee against Torture who noted concerns in relation to the use of administrative detention21, especially in cases involving children.22 17. Recurrent reports of practices that may amount to ill-treatment and torture, including with regards to children continued to be of serious concern. In its list of issues prior to submission of the sixth periodic report of Israel, the Committee against Torture referred to “recurrent allegations of torture and ill-treatment of Palestinian minors in interrogation and detention centres, settlements and temporary military headquarters in the State party.” According to Addameer, since 1967 until the end of 2019, 222 prisoners have died while under Israeli custody. 23 4 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody since the beginning of 201824, the last of which was Bassam al-Sayeh who died in a Petakh Tikva interrogation centre on 9 September 2019. Mr al-Sayeh was reportedly suffering from bone and blood cancer as well as other medical conditions and was not provided adequate medical care or treatment, leading to a deterioration in his condition.25 E. The Annexation Plan 18. On 17 May, the newly formed Israeli coalition government, agreed to initiate plans to implement the annexation of parts of the West Bank and the Jordan Valley. This annexation which is based on the Peace to Prosperity plan announced by the United States, would affect, if implemented, approximately a third of the territory in the Palestinian West Bank including the Jordan Valley. On 16 June, 67 UN human rights experts noted that any annexation of Palestinian territory would be a serious breach of international law and the Charter of the United Nations. The experts further called on the international community to take concerted measures to counter the planned annexation move by Israel including through the use of a “broad menu of countermeasures.”26 The Special Rapporteur warned against accommodating any degree of annexation, even if it was partial and consisting of several settlements blocs, 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Numbers according to https://www.addameer.org/statistics . A/73/907-S/2019/509, para. 95. CCPR/C/ISR/CO/4, para 10(b); CAT/C/ISR/CO/4, para.17; and CAT/C/ISR/CO/5, paras. 22-23. CCPR/C/ISR/CO/3, para. 7(b). http://www.addameer.org/news/bassam-al-sayeh-third-palestinian-prisoner-who-dies-israeli-prisons2019. http://www.addameer.org/news/phroc-israeli-authorities-bear-responsibility-palestinian-prisoners’life-and-protection. http://www.addameer.org/news/bassam-al-sayeh-third-palestinian-prisoner-who-dies-israeli-prisons2019. https://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25960&LangID=E. 5