A/HRC/28/44 Palestinian farmers when they were picking almonds, asserting that the “prior coordination” was only for olives, even though the almond trees were in the same field.29 20. Furthermore, incidents have also been recorded in which Palestinian farmers have been denied access to their lands even during the time allowed by “prior coordination”; for example, on 20 October 2014, Palestinian farmers were reportedly denied access to their olive orchards located in the village of Deir Istiya (Governorate of Salfit) by security personnel from the settlement of Revava. 30 21. Another way of restricting access of Palestinians to agricultural land is the permit regime established by Israeli authorities for access to farming land in the seam zone, the closed area located between the wall and the Green Line.31 Israeli authorities often cite security reasons or claim that the portion of land is too small to qualify for a permit to deny Palestinians such permits (according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in the past four years, the approval rate in the northern West Bank is 50 per cent).32 For those who manage to obtain a permit, access is nonetheless frequently restricted. In 2013, there were 81 gates designated for access to agricultural lands in the seam zone; however, only nine of them were kept opened every day, while another nine were kept opened for only one or few more days per week. The majority (63) was kept opened only during the olive harvest season, which lasts approximately 45 days.33 22. Palestinian farmers also see access to their private land restricted and often denied by the civilian security coordinators and guards who operate in the Israeli settlements and outposts in the West Bank. These coordinators and guards are drawn from residents of settlements and outposts, and charged with guarding the settlements and outposts on behalf of the Israeli army.34 They are trained and equipped with weapons by the Israel Defense Forces, and are subject to the Military Justice Law. 35 At the same time, they are appointed by and act as the representatives of the settlements. As such, the civilian security coordinators identify with the goals of their communities, the illegal settlements, which seek to expand their boundaries, even if construction is on Palestinian-owned land. OHCHR found that the lack of adequate supervision by the Israel Defense Forces and of clearly defined powers leads to daily friction between the security coordinators and the Palestinians. 23. Civilian security coordinators and guards have been granted police and law enforcement powers, including the powers to detain, search and arrest persons they deem, based on “reasonable grounds”, pose a security threat, have committed or are about to commit an offence.36 As a result, civilian security coordinators and guards have de facto a considerable margin of discretion in the conduct of their activities. As observed by Yesh Din, this has enabled them to obstruct arbitrarily the access of Palestinian farmers to their private land located in the vicinity of settlements and outposts. Reportedly, there have been 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 8 Ibid. Information provided by Premiere Urgence – Aide Medicale Internationale. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “10 Years since the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion”, 9 July 2014. Ibid. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, Humanitarian Bulletin Monthly Report, February 2014, p. 11. Military Order No. 432. See also Eyal Hareuveni, The Lawless Zone: the Transfer of Policing and Security Powers to the Civilian Security Coordinators in the Settlements and Outposts (Yesh Din, Tel Aviv, June 2014), pp. 4 and 11. OHCHR and the Protection Cluster, “Update on settler violence in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem”, October 2014, p. 5. Hareuveni, “The lawless zone” (see footnote 34), pp. 12-13.