A/HRC/22/63 3. Restrictions on religious freedom and related intolerance 58. In the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jerusalem, Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus all host places of considerable religious significance for Christianity, Judaism and Islam. While the impact of settlements is manifested in various forms throughout the West Bank, the mission notes that both Jerusalem and Hebron have been targeted by particularly aggressive settlement policies and practices owing to their religious significance. Settlements have been established in the heart of both cities, disrupting the lives and the development of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. In addition, major settlement infrastructure has been built around Jerusalem and, to a lesser extent, Hebron, enveloping them and severing social and economic ties with the rest of Palestinian society, while linking the various settlements and the territory of the State of Israel. 59. The mission was also informed about archaeological excavations being conducted in and around the Old City of Jerusalem and the construction there of a network of underground tunnels, including those connecting settlement installations in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan with the Old City. It has been alleged that these archaeological excavations are intended to emphasize Jewish cultural heritage while disregarding – or worse undermining – the rich heritage of other cultures that have contributed to the millenary history of the city. 60. The mission received numerous reports of Palestinians being denied access to places of worship. Limited entry through checkpoints and area closures during holy days prevents Palestinians from attending holy rituals at appointed times at places of worship. The mission also learned that, since 2008, mosques and Christian churches have been targeted in price-tag attacks, including at least nine price-tag arson attacks against Palestinian mosques and 21 incidents where graffiti was used to desecrate mosques, churches and burial grounds with provocative slogans of a racist or a sacrilegious nature, intended to inflame the situation.36 61. The mission is concerned that policies and acts aimed at altering the composition of Jerusalem and Hebron by erasing cultural heritage on the basis of religious affiliation, together with redrawing municipal boundaries, are being carried out with the involvement of the Government of Israel, with pernicious effects. It is further concerned that the Palestinians‘ right to freedom of religion is being restricted by the settlements. 4. Dispossession and displacement 62. Dispossession and displacement featured in most of the submissions, reports and testimony received by the mission. The information brought to light a number of different mechanisms exploited to seize Palestinian land, as well as a discriminatory planning and zoning policy that favours the development of settlements and, as the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination concluded, breaches a range of fundamental rights of Palestinians.37 63. Since the beginning of the occupation, Palestinians have seen over 1 million dunams38 of their land seized, enabled by a combination of military orders and selective interpretation of the Ottoman Land Code that ruled land tenure throughout the Ottoman, Mandatory and Jordanian periods. In particular, land has been lost through seizure for military needs, absentee property laws and the declaration of State lands. 36 37 38 14 An-Najah University, ―Outposts and Price Tag Violence‖ (see footnote34). CERD/C/ISR/CO/14-16, para. 25. One dunam equals 1,000 m2.