A/HRC/24/30
cultural heritage and livelihood values of the agricultural terraces in the village of Battir.49
The Court requested the military to submit, within three months, the reasons why the route
of the Wall should not be nullified or changed in this area.50
4.
Demolitions and forced evictions
35.
Israeli planning policies continue to severely restrict the construction of new
housing for Palestinians in East Jerusalem and Area C, where Israel retains full authority
for planning and zoning. Permits for new houses are rarely given, and homes of West Bank
and East Jerusalem identification holders are frequently demolished on the basis that they
were built without permission and are therefore illegal structures. From 1 December 2012
to 21 May 2013, 271 Palestinian-owned structures in East Jerusalem and Area C were
demolished due to lack of permits, resulting in the displacement of 476 Palestinians,
including 263 children.51
36.
Approximately 33 per cent of Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem lack Israeliissued building permits, placing at least 93,100 residents at risk of displacement. Moreover,
70 per cent of Area C in the West Bank is allocated to Israeli settlements or the Israeli
military. An additional 29 per cent is heavily restricted by Israel, thus greatly limiting
prospects for Palestinian construction, and less than 1 per cent of Area C has been planned
for Palestinian development.
B.
Excessive use of force by Israeli security forces
1.
Excessive use of force
37.
Under international law, Israeli authorities are obliged to respect the right to life and
protect the civilian population in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In a law enforcement
context, Israeli security forces are bound by the general principles on the use of force by
law enforcement officials, including the principles of necessity and proportionality
contained in the Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement
Officials52 and the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials.53 The intentional lethal
use of firearms is only permitted when strictly unavoidable in order to protect life.
38.
During the reporting period, the use of force by Israeli security forces, including the
IDF and the Israeli Border Police, resulted in 10 deaths, including four children and one
woman, and 2,952 injuries54 in the West Bank. This constitutes a marked increase in the
killing of civilians in the West Bank compared to the rest of 2012.55 OHCHR monitored
and documented nine fatalities and several injuries. The monitoring and documentation by
OHCHR identified serious concerns regarding potentially unlawful and unnecessary use of
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
12
www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/high-court-orders-defense-ministry-to-halt-constructionof-part-of-west-bank-barrier.premium-1.518888
The petition was submitted to the Israeli High Court of Justice by Friends of the Earth Middle East,
see http://www.skollfoundation.org/friends-of-the-earth-middle-east-helps-preserve-heritage-andagricultural-site/.
Information provided by Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/UseOfForceAndFirearms.aspx
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/ProfessionalInterest/Pages/LawEnforcementOfficials.aspx
Statistics on injuries compiled from the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs,
Protection of Civilians Weekly Reports (November 2012–April 2013).
OCHA, from January to end November 2012, reported seven casualties resulting from the Israeli–
Palestinian conflict, see http://www.ochaopt.org/poc.aspx?id=1010002.
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents