A/HRC/13/54 demolitions in the OPT, including in East Jerusalem.52 Furthermore, such home demolitions amount to forced evictions and are in violation of the right to adequate housing.53 41. Often the justification given by the Israeli authorities for home demolitions, particularly in East Jerusalem, is that Palestinian residents erect structures without building permits. Yet in practice Palestinians lack meaningful access to such permits. Palestinians applying for building permits face an unnecessarily stringent and costly process to demonstrate land ownership.54 Furthermore, it is important to note that only 13 per cent of the annexed East Jerusalem land area is currently zoned for Palestinian construction, and much of this land is already dense with construction. 42. While the Municipality of Jerusalem announced that 70 per cent of home demolitions in East Jerusalem would desist,55 forced evictions and home demolitions have continued unabated. The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs determined that, from 16 May to 18 November 2009, at least 214 persons, including 103 children, were displaced due to home demolitions or forced evictions. The Israeli Committee against Home Demolitions estimates that demolitions from 1 January to 18 November 2009 displaced at least 333 persons, including 157 children. It is estimated that there are more than 1,500 outstanding demolition orders in East Jerusalem alone. If these orders are implemented, as many as 60,000 further Palestinians would be displaced.56 43. Some cases documented by OHCHR-OPT indicate that Palestinian families being evicted are often not allowed to remove their belongings. On 26 October 2009 Israeli authorities demolished the home of four Palestinian families in the Al Ghezayel area of Sur Bahir, in the process displacing 15 persons, including 6 children. Persons in the house were separated into three different rooms and were not allowed to contact anyone by telephone. At 7 a.m. ISF arrived and the demolition began, with the families given little time to remove their belongings. OHCHR-OPT observed that items such as kitchenware and furniture were still in the house when it was demolished. Another home was demolished on 27 October 2009, with ISF arriving at 5 a.m. and immediately ordering all residents to exit. The four families residing in the house were forced to wait in the cold until workers arrived at 7 a.m. The workers proceeded to clear the house of its furniture and belongings for approximately 30 minutes, until bulldozers arrived and demolished the house with the remaining belongings still inside. In all cases documented by OHCHR-OPT, victims stated that workers who cleared their homes hurled furniture out the windows and caused further damage to their belongings. 44. With respect to Israel’s continuing policy and practice of carrying out home demolitions in East Jerusalem, it is recalled that on 3 November 2009 the Secretary-General issued a statement in which he declared that he was “dismayed at continued Israeli actions in occupied East Jerusalem, including the demolition of Palestinian homes, the eviction of Palestinian families and the insertion of settlers into Palestinian neighbourhoods”.57 In a 1 52 53 54 55 56 57 12 See CERD/C/ISR/CO/13, para. 35. Article 11, paragraph 1, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. OHCHR-OPT press release of 1 May 2009 issued on the occasion of the publication of the OCHA Special Focus Report: The Planning Crisis in East Jerusalem. See, for example, Israeli Committee against Home Demolitions, “Jerusalem municipality plans to freeze 70% of home demolitions in East Jerusalem: a step forward?”, 29 June 2009; “After U.S. pressure, Barkat to halt 70% of East Jerusalem demolitions,” Haaretz.com, 29 June 2009. OCHA, “Overview of the situation in East Jerusalem with regard to forced evictions, house demolitions and displacement: update for donor briefing”, 11 November 2009. “‘Dismayed’ by continued settlement activity in occupied East Jerusalem, Secretary-General calls on Israel to cease such ‘provocative actions,’” statement of the Secretary-General, 3 November 2009. GE.10-12152