(Communicated by COGAT)

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) has issued a response to the report published by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) concerning house demolitions in Area C:

The figures quoted in the report are inconsistent with the situation on the ground.

According to the interim agreements signed by Israel and the Palestinian Authority and recognized by the international community, all building in Area C requires the permission of the responsible authorities. Currently, the Civil Administration is processing 13 master plans, by Palestinian request. The plans are in various stages of advanced planning; in the case of four of them, the planning process has been completed.

Furthermore, the Civil Administration is promoting a plan for regularizing the communities of the Bedouin [in the Negev], many of whom live in illegally built housing. The plan allocates to the Bedouin land that includes essential infrastructures such as electricity, water and sewage systems. It was formulated following meetings with delegates of the Bedouin population and takes into consideration the desire to preserve the traditional Bedouin lifestyle.