A/HRC/34/70 face and the critical work they do in attempting to bring justice to an environment in which human rights are increasingly subverted by a prolonged occupation soon to reach half a century. II. Current human rights situation 8. Reports of recurring, persistent human rights violations, including excessive use of force, collective punishment, forced displacement and restrictions on the freedom of movement, have been reported throughout 2016 (see A/71/554). The backdrop against which all of this has occurred is one of what appears to be increasingly extreme rhetoric from Israeli political and government leaders. Legislation related to the legalization of outposts suggests an ever-shrinking opportunity for Palestinians to realize their right to selfdetermination. The international community, while seeking to spur the peace process, continues to fail to place human rights at the centre of its efforts. A. Settlements 9. On 23 December 2016 in resolution 2334 (2016), the Security Council reaffirmed that the establishment of settlements in the West Bank was a flagrant violation under international law and a major obstacle to the achievement of the two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace. Less than a month after the passage of that resolution, the Government of Israel announced plans for roughly 6,000 new settlement units in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. It was proposed that several of those units would be built outside the current settlement blocs.4 Approvals of settlement units in 2016 were limited in size to the hundreds, not thousands as in the most recent announcements. France noted in its condemnation of the announcement of the new units that the amount announced in the space of a week in 2017 was double the total number of units approved in 2016.5 In addition, the second half of 2016 saw a year-end uptick in new construction over the previous two years.6 10. Along with the announcement of new settlement construction have come reports of increasing incidents of demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. As of late January 2017, a total of 105 demolitions had been recorded in Area C and 14 in East Jerusalem since the start of the year. 7 Demolitions in 2016 in the entirety of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, totalled 1,093, 8 which is the highest number recorded since the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs began collecting the data in 2009.9 The demolitions in 2016 displaced 1,593 Palestinians and negatively affected the livelihoods of 7,101 others.10 Demolitions, threats of demolition and lack of protection from demolition all contribute to the creation of a coercive environment, in which people might feel that they have no choice but to leave their land and their homes (see A/HRC/31/43, para. 46). The risk of forcible transfer resulting from the coercive environment is particularly high among Bedouin communities in Area C (see A/71/355, para. 22). 11. February 2017 saw the passage of controversial legislation in the Knesset that legalized the confiscation of private Palestinian land. The so-called regularization bill legalizes roughly 3,000 housing units built on private Palestinian land in the West Bank, 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Gili Cohen, “Israel approves thousands of new settler homes ahead of West Bank outpost’s evacuation,” Haaretz, 21 March 2017; statement by the Special Rapporteur, available from www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21141&LangID=E. Statement by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development, available from http:// franceintheus.org/IMG/html/briefing/2017/DDB-2017-02-01.html. See: http://peacenow.org.il/en/40-increase-construction-starts-west-bank-settlements-2016. See www.ochaopt.org/content/protection-civilians-weekly-report-10-23-january-2017. Ibid. See www.ochaopt.org/content/record-number-demolitions-2016-casualty-toll-declines. Ibid. 3