A/HRC/34/39 growth in privately led East Jerusalem settlement enclaves (see para. 31 below) and continued efforts to retroactively legalize unauthorized Area C outposts. Housing and infrastructure 26. There were significant developments in planning and construction during the period under review, particularly in East Jerusalem, including the issuance by the Israeli authorities, in November 2015, of a tender for 438 housing units in the settlement of Ramat Shlomo, in the northern periphery of the city. 40 27. In July 2016, the Israeli media reported on a rare, court-mandated approval of a plan for 600 housing units in the Palestinian village of Beit Safafa. 41 It also reported on advances made in the construction of 560 settlement units in Maale Adumim and of 240 such units in East Jerusalem, which were soon followed by the issuance of tenders for an additional 323 units in those settlements.42 28. Other key developments in East Jerusalem included advances in the planning and construction of residential buildings and infrastructure in the southern perimeter of the city by municipal planning authorities. Non-governmental organizations monitoring settlement expansion have highlighted those developments as part of broader efforts by the Israeli authorities to further the establishment of a contiguous Israeli-controlled corridor connecting the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, located in Bethlehem Governorate, to Jerusalem. In that regard, construction began on a new road facilitating access between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem;43 proposals for housing plans and tenders continued to advance in Gilo settlement, 44 which was expected to enable the expansion of the settlement southward, towards Beit Jala; the construction of the wall resumed south of Beit Jala and west of Al Walajeh; and the construction of a visitors’ centre started in an adjacent area located in Beit Jala’s agricultural hinterland, which had been designated as a national park in 2013. Furthermore, the construction of a road leading to an undeveloped parcel in nearby Givat HaMatos C raised concerns as an indication of possible future construction plans in the area.45 29. An acceleration in the implementation of settlement-related policies and measures in the southern periphery of Jerusalem and in Bethlehem Governorate resulted in the fragmentation of the area, the shrinking of space available for Palestinian development and the separation of rural hinterlands from urban areas. Key concerns emanating from these developments include the impact on the rights of Palestinian residents of the area to freedom of movement, an adequate livelihood and the enjoyment of natural resources. 46 Support to privately led settlement initiatives in East Jerusalem 30. Israeli civil society organizations reported on the growth of privately led settlement efforts in East Jerusalem, particularly in the city’s “historic basin”, which saw a 25 per cent increase in the total number of settlers between 2009 and October 2016, to approximately 2,500 settlers.47 The initiatives are supported by government funding, including through a 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 See www.peacenow.org.il. See www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.728768. See https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/statement/2016-07-04/un-secretary-general-israelidecisions-regarding-new-construction. Ir Amim newsletter available from www.altro.co.il/newsletters/show/8617?key=08df354b3 dd7853bae6cc333e526b2dd&value=9a3cdcd0e38da468aea5b504ce87c7a2d1ce4fef: 1260978. As part of the announcement for the tender of 323 units (see para. 27 above). While not yet approved at the time of writing, the parcel in question has been designated for 800 housing units. See Ir Amim newsletter available from www.altro.co.il/newsletters/show/9056?key= ebb7138f916d1c7391aeee8ed6e1c804&value=c2e4bb0d506603c6a015881780b407ec41d90f70: 1284691. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “Bethlehem Governorate: fragmentation and humanitarian concerns”, factsheet (January 2015). Ir Amim and Peace Now, Broken Trust: State Involvement in Private Settlement in Batan Al-Hawa, Silwan (May 2016), p. 5. 7