A/HRC/25/38 1,708 units, 180 of them in outposts,12 as compared with 995 units built during the same period in 2012.13 7. In addition, in October 2013 the Government of Israel announced the construction of 5,000 new units in Israeli settlements located in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.14 According to the media, the aim of this measure was to neutralize negative reactions towards the release of Palestinian prisoners in the context of the peace talks.15 In November 2013, the media reported that the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, had ordered the Minister of Housing and Construction, Uri Ariel, to reconsider construction plans for more than 20,000 housing units in Israeli settlements,16 including in the E-1 block,17 reportedly in order not to create an unnecessary confrontation with the international community.18 However, as of 20 November 2013, those plans had not been withdrawn. 8. The population in Israeli settlements continues to grow. According to the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, the growth rate of the settler population in 2012 was 5 per cent, almost three times higher than the national growth rate, which was 1.9 per cent.19 Estimations of the current settlement population in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, range between 500,000 and 650,000.20 9. Israeli settlement activity, security measures adopted to protect settlers and their movement, and the violence committed by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property are behind most of the human rights violations against Palestinians in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.21 For example, settlements have given rise to multiple restrictions imposed by Israel on Palestinian construction, in particular in Area C,22 making it virtually impossible for Palestinians to obtain building permits for homes and infrastructure.23 As noted below, these restrictions often leave Palestinians with no other option than to build without permits, risking eviction and the demolition of their structures and their subsequent displacement (see paras. 11-20 below). As previously reported, in many cases, the demolition of Palestinian homes lacking building permits is linked to settlement expansion.24 According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 Outposts are settlements which, although often established with some kind of Government support, are not officially recognized under Israeli law. See peacenow.org.il/eng/Jan-Jun-2013. Mainly for the expansion of the Ramat Shlomo settlement and the construction of a national park on Mount Scopus. See www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/.premium-1.555373 www.timesofisrael.com/5000new-settlement-units-said-to-be-in-the-works/ www.yourmiddleeast.com/news/israel-planninganother-3360-settler-homes_19078. See peacenow.org/entries/updated_new_peace_nowapn_report_bibis_settlements_boom_-_even_bigger_than_was_known#more. Area of the West Bank within the municipal boundary of Ma’ale Adumim settlement, adjacent to East Jerusalem. Plans to construct settlements in E-1 would create an urban block between Ma’ale Adumim and Jerusalem, exacerbate the isolation of East Jerusalem from the rest of the West Bank, and interrupt the territorial contiguity of the West Bank. See www.btselem.org/settlements/20121202_e1_human_rights_ramifications. See www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-24919030. See www.jpost.com/National-News/2012-West-Bank-settler-population-growing-almost-three-timesas-fast-as-national-rate-326309. A/68/513, para. 10. A/68/513, para. 12; A/66/364. The Oslo Accords divided the West Bank into Areas A, B and C. Area C comprises approximately 61 per cent of the West Bank and is under almost full Israeli military and civilian authority. A/68/513, paras. 31-33. A/HRC/22/63, paras. 62-71; A/67/375, para. 8; A/66/364, para. 11. 5