A/HRC/19/20 Half of the communities in question live along road No. 1, which connects Jerusalem with the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea, and the other half live inside and on the outskirts of the “E1” area planned for the expansion of the settlement of Ma‟ale Adumim.31 35. Some reports indicate that this plan may be implemented as early as January 2012 and that it is the first step of a larger plan to transfer up to 27,000 Bedouins from their communities in Area C.32 OHCHR met with representatives of some Bedouin communities in September 2011. The communities expressed their concerns with the implications of the planned transfer. More than 80 per cent of the members of these communities are already refugees. The communities have already lost land in the past due to settlement expansion and most have pending demolition orders against their homes. Currently, none have access to electricity networks and just about half are connected to water networks. The communities have clearly expressed to OHCHR that the Israeli Civil Administration has not consulted them for this transfer plan. The communities fear the transfer will lead to a further deterioration of their living conditions, loss of livelihood, loss of tribal cohesion and erosion of their traditional lifestyles. Furthermore, according to OCHA, the proposed transfer site is situated close to the municipal dumping site and is likely to pose health hazards to the communities.33 36. If the proposed plan to transfer 20 Bedouin communities is not desired by the vast majority of these communities it would, if implemented, constitute forced transfer of population, which is strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law. Elements of this also raise a number of human rights concerns enshrined in both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Should some communities be willing to be transferred, they should be involved in genuine consultations, alternatives should be discussed, and their way of life, livelihood and culture must be preserved. Their informed consent (in a language they understand), obtained without coercion or pressure, is required. In any case, consent of the communities to be moved by no means justifies the expansion of settlements or related activities which remain illegal under international law. 5. Gaza 37. The Israeli blockade, now in its fifth year, continued to significantly impact the human rights situation in Gaza. Severe restrictions on the movement of people and goods, on land and sea, remain in place. The effects of such measures include: increased poverty and unemployment, a decline in infrastructure and the quality of services, such as health care, education, water and sanitation, and serious erosion of the coping mechanisms of families and communities.34 Restrictions on exports continued, as did limitations on imports 31 32 33 34 B‟Tselem, “Civil Administration plans to expel tens of thousands of Bedouins from Area C”, 10 October 2011. Available from www.btselem.org/settlements/20111010_forced_eviction_of_bedouins. Ibid. OCHA, Bedouin Relocation: Threat of Displacement in Jerusalem Periphery, fact sheet, September 2011, first page. Available from www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_bedouin_FactSheet_October_2011_english.pdf. Protection concern identified by the Protection Cluster Working Group as reflected in the Consolidated Appeals Process 2012 (forthcoming, December 2012). 13