A/HRC/40/42 I. Introduction 1. The present report, submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to its resolution 37/36, provides an update on the implementation of that resolution from 1 November 2017 to 31 October 2018. It is based on monitoring and other information-gathering activities conducted by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and on information provided by other United Nations entities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Israeli and Palestinian non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and civil society in the occupied Syrian Golan. It should be read in conjunction with recent relevant reports of the Secretary-General and of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the General Assembly and to the Human Rights Council. 1 The quarterly updates and reports of the Secretary-General presented to the Security Council on the implementation of Council resolution 2334 (2016) also provide relevant information. 2 2. During the period under review, the Israeli settlement enterprise continued unabated in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Settlement housing advancement in Area C and East Jerusalem declined compared with the high numbers of the previous reporting period (1 November 2016 to 31 October 2017). Since the beginning of 2018, settler violence has been at a concerning high. II. Legal framework 3. International human rights law and international humanitarian law are concurrently applicable in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, namely Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. In particular, Israel is bound by the obligations of an occupying Power as set out by international humanitarian law. A detailed analysis of the legal framework in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan is contained in reports of the Secretary-General.3 III. Activities related to settlements 4. During the period under review, planning for settlements continued, while the actual commencement of construction decreased. Conditions and acts contributing to a coercive environment, including demolitions and forced evictions, remained a serious concern and acts of settler violence reached the highest level since 2015. In the present report, the High Commissioner examines general developments related to settlements, including outposts, 4 with a specific focus on settler violence and its effect on the human rights of Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. It also addresses issues relating to Israeli settlements in the occupied Syrian Golan. A. Settlement expansion Land designation, planning and tenders 5. Advancement of plans for settlement construction continued at a high rate, with plans for 6,300 housing units advanced for construction in Area C and East Jerusalem, following some 10,000 housing units in the previous reporting period. Included in the plans for this reporting period were some 5,300 housing units in Area C, about 2,300 of them 1 2 3 4 2 A/73/410, A/73/420, A/HRC/37/38, A/HRC/37/42 and A/HRC/37/43. Available from the web page of the Office of the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process at https://unsco.unmissions.org/security-council-briefings-0. A/HRC/34/38 and A/HRC/34/39. Outposts are unauthorized settlements illegal even under Israeli law. Both outposts and settlements are illegal under international law.