A/HRC/22/63 demolishing their own houses to avoid having to pay a fines. Self-demolitions are not recorded in statistics on demolitions. 71. As corroborated by testimonies, many Palestinians are forced to build without a permit, thus living under the constant threat that their home or property may be demolished. Many families and entire communities are at risk of displacement. In East Jerusalem alone, where 33 per cent of Palestinian homes lack building permits, at least 93,100 residents are potentially at risk of being displaced.40 5. Restrictions on the freedom of movement 72. The mission received information according to which the vast majority of restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians seem to be directly linked to the settlements, and include ―restrictions aimed at protecting the settlements, securing areas for their expansion, and improving the connectivity between settlements and with Israel itself.‖41 The restrictions themselves come in many forms, including settler-only roads, a regime of checkpoints and crossings (closure obstacles), impediments created by the wall and its gate and permit regime, as well as administrative restrictions. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports more than 540 closure obstacles in 2012.42 Although there have been significant easing measures in recent years (which have improved connectivity between the main Palestinian cities and towns), movement restrictions reportedly remain in place in areas around settlements. 73. The mission notes that restrictions on freedom of movement have a detrimental impact on the access of Palestinians to their land, and have direct consequences for their ability to work and earn a livelihood. The outer expanses of many settlements incorporate Palestinian private property, and access to this land is regulated through the ―prior coordination‖ regime whereby the Palestinian landowners are granted a permit for access to their land for a limited number of days each year, normally coinciding with harvest time and based on prior coordination with the Israeli authorities. This regime is in place for Palestinian landowners in some 90 communities with land in the environs of some 55 settlements.43 In some cases, the prior coordination regime is applied to private Palestinian land that has been unilaterally fenced off by settlers without authorization by the Israeli authorities. The widespread access restrictions in and around the wall in the form of gate and permit regimes particularly affect access to agricultural land in the seam zone and, as previously noted, these restrictions only apply to the Palestinian population (see paragraph 40 above). 74. Israel has extended the prior coordination regime to situations where Palestinians face potential settler violence and intimidation. This response has been ineffective in preventing settler violence, while it places the burden of restricting access to land on the victims of settler violence. 75. The mission notes that discrimination is particularly evident in the movement restrictions in Hebron and the Jordan Valley, where large Palestinian populations are subjected to permit regimes and areas off limits to traffic and, in some cases, pedestrian 40 41 42 43 16 Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ―East Jerusalem: Key Humanitarian Concerns‖ (see footnote 16). Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, West Bank Movement and Access Update, September 2012 (available from www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_movement_and_access_report_september_2012_english.pdf), p. 2. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ―Humanitarian Impact of Israeli Settlement Policies‖ (see footnote 15). Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, ―West Bank Movement‖ (see footnote 41).