A/HRC/18/49 barrier, including East Jerusalem, or to land and rural communities in the Jordan Valley.17 Freedom of movement for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank and abroad remains strictly limited.18 Palestinian human rights defenders continue to face difficulties travelling between the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the outside world due to the travel bans imposed by Israel.19 40. In paragraph 1972 (e) of its report, the Mission recommended that Israel should release Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons in connection with the occupation. The release of children should be an utmost priority. The Mission further recommended that Israel should cease the discriminatory treatment of Palestinian detainees and that family visits for prisoners from Gaza should resume. 41. As of June 2011 approximately 5,500 Palestinians remained in prisons in Israel and in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including 211 children (38 between ages of 12 and 15).20 More than 200 Palestinians were in administrative detention.21 Arrest and detention of children from East Jerusalem suspected of throwing stones at Israeli settlers and their private security personnel increased.22 Conditions of detention remain poor and illtreatment and abuse of detainees during arrest, interrogation and detention are reportedly routine.23 The Israeli authorities continue to bar family visits for prisoners from Gaza.24 42. In paragraph 1972 (f) of its report, the Mission recommended that Israel should forthwith cease interference with national political processes in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and, as a first step, release all members of the Palestinian Legislative Council currently in detention and allow all members of the Council to move between Gaza and the West Bank so that it may resume functioning. 43. As of the date of writing, twelve members of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) remain in Israeli detention. Three PLC members who had been in detention between 2006 and June 2010, and who subsequently had their residency permits revoked by the Government of Israel on the basis of their lack of loyalty to the State, continued to seek refuge on ICRC premises in East Jerusalem (A/HRC/16/71, para. 23). A fourth PLC 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 10 See, generally, OCHA-OPT, “Barrier Update: Seven years after the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on the Barrier: The Impact of the Barrier in the Jerusalem area”, July 2011. Available from http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_barrier_update_july_2011_english.pdf. See, generally, OCHA-OPT, “Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip Fact Sheet”, July 2011. Available from www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_Gaza_Fact_Sheet_July_2011.pdf. See Al-Haq, “Alternative report submitted by Al-Haq to the Human Rights Committee on the occasion of its consideration of Israel’s third periodic report: Israel’s violations of the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights with respect to Freedom of Movement in the Occupied Palestinian Territory”, June 2010. Figures from Addameer, available at http://www.addameer.org/detention/current_stats.html, and B’Tselem available at http://www.btselem.org/statistics/detainees_and_prisoners. Ibid. Naama Baumgarten-Sharon, Caution: Children Ahead, The Illegal Behavior of the Police toward Minors in Silwan Suspected of Stone Throwing, (B’Tselem, 2010). Available from www.btselem.org/publications/summaries/201012_caution_children_ahead, accessed on 21 July 2011. See Adv. Yossi Wolfson, Kept in the Dark, treatment of Palestinian Detainees in the Petah Tikva interrogation Facility of the Israel Security agency, (B’Tselem and Hamoked, 2011). Available from www.btselem.org/download/201010_kept_in_the_dark_eng.pdf, accessed on 20 July 2011 ICRC, “Gaza detainees barred from family visits”, 23 June 2011.