A/HRC/23/21 45. In East Jerusalem, settlers continue their efforts to expand, including through forced evictions. According to figures collected by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, 299 Palestinians were displaced in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, in January and February 2013, as against 879 Palestinians displaced throughout 2012.34 46. The case of the Shamasneh family, in Sheikh Jarrah since 1964 but now subject to eviction proceedings by the General Custodian and Israeli Jewish landowners, is symptomatic of a wider trend. Although some Palestinian families in Sheikh Jarrah come under the provisions of the Protected Tenants Act of 1972, the Shamasneh family reportedly are not eligible for protection as they did not have a written rent agreement between 1964 and 1967. A ruling on the case by the Israeli High Court was expected on 20 May 2013.35 47. In another case of forcible displacement of Palestinians, the Israeli Municipality and the Ministry of Transport are undertaking construction in Beit Safafa to complete a highway to serve the expansion of settlements in and around the southern part of East Jerusalem, and to expedite the annexation of Gush Etzion. Palestinian residents were not consulted during the planning process and will not benefit from the highway, which will cut across the centre of Beit Safafa. Once the highway is completed, Beit Safafa residents will find themselves in a fragmented community with further loss of freedom of movement and access to essential services. The Special Rapporteur will follow closely the appeal by residents of Beit Safafa for an immediate stop order in the Israeli High Court, scheduled for 26 June 2013.36 48. Settler violence continues unabated and affects Palestinians, including children, on a daily basis. In 2013, 146 cases of settler-related violence resulting in Palestinian casualties or property damage have been reported to date.37 Incidents of settler violence range from physical assaults against Palestinians, including shooting live firearms and stone-throwing, to vandalism against schools, mosques and private property. Hundreds of olive trees and other agricultural assets owned by Palestinians have already been damaged in 2013. Beyond the intended effect of intimidating and harming Palestinians, a worrying aspect of this violence has been the almost non-existent efforts of the Israel Defense Forces to protect Palestinians or to investigate settler abuses. All too often, as repeatedly captured on video, Israeli forces arrive at the scene of violence instigated by Israeli settlers, stand by as passive witnesses, or worse, respond by firing tear gas canisters and rubber-coated metal bullets at the Palestinians. If the advocacy by the Head of the Jewish Home Party, Naftali Bennett, for changing the rules of engagement is successful, it will imbue settlers with a greater sense of impunity. 49. Israel’s newly-formed coalition shows no sign of breaking with the State’s policy of disregard for international law. The Minister for Housing, Uri Ariel, just before the visit by United States President Barack Obama to Israel and Palestine, declared on television that “building will continue in accordance with what the government’s policy has been thus 34 35 36 37 18 OCHA, Humanitarian Monitor Monthly Report, February 2013 (available from http://unispal.un.org/unispal.nsf/47d4e277b48d9d3685256ddc00612265/b624803c42fee33885257b39 004d09fd?OpenDocument), p. 18. Ibid., pp.12-15. The Civic Coalition for Palestinian Rights in Jerusalem, Urgent Appeal for Action, 6 April 2013. Available from http://civiccoalition-jerusalem.org/human-rightsresources/publications/submissions/urgent-appeal-action-0. OCHA, Protection of Civilians Report, 30 April to 6 May 2013. Available from http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/6111ACFD5B247B8C85257B66004C31B0.