2004 and 2013, excluding “self-inflicted” demolitions,280 492 housing units were demolished in East Jerusalem, displacing 1,943 Palestinians in 2013. The situation is desperate, and Falk refers to the case of Palestinian Jerusalemites as “a gradual and bureaucratic process of ethnic cleansing”.281 The findings of Falk and a variety of other individuals and organizations in relation to the discriminatory practices of Israel reveal not a series of isolated incidents, but rather a comprehensive patchwork of legislation and judicial decisions which systematically targets Palestinians, driving a steady and relentless process of forced population transfer. Here it is important to note that according to the Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities of the former Commission on Human Rights, forced population transfer: [...] remains a systematic coercive and deliberate […] movement of population into or out of an area […] with the effect or purpose of altering the demographic composition of a territory, particularly when that ideology or policy asserts the dominance of a certain group over another.282 As such, this represents a clear and direct contravention of Israel’s obligations as occupying power under international humanitarian law, and it is a breach which demands a swift and decisive response. For more information please see BADIL Resource Center, Discriminatory Zoning and Planning, Forced Population Transfer: The Case of Palestine. http://www.badil.org/ phocadownloadpap/badil-new/publications/research/working-papers/wp17-zoninigplannig-en.pdf Restrictions on Construction in the Gaza Strip The key factor prohibiting the repair and rebuilding of Palestinian homes and infrastructure damaged or destroyed by Israeli military actions inside the Gaza Strip is the blockade, which prevents the importation of desperately needed building materials. 280 This term relates to instances where the Israeli authorities demand homeowners demolish their own property. Failure to do so will result in the property being demolished by the State, with the homeowner invoiced for this expense at an inflated rate. The homeowner is therefore coerced into demolishing their own property so as a means of mitigating the financial impact upon them and their family. 281 Richard Falk, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories Occupied since 1967 (UNHRC, January 13, 2014), http://richardfalk.wordpress. com/2011/02/14/report-of-special-rapporteur-to-the-un-human-rights-council-on-occupiedpalestinian-territories/. 282 Al-Khawasneh and Hatano, The Human Rights Dimensions of Population Transfer Including the Implantation of Settlers, Preliminary Report Prepared for Commission on Human Rights SubCommission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities, Forty-Fifth Session, 27–32. 73