| Country: occupied Palestinian territory Sources: Protection Cluster, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights Please refer to the attached file. Protection developments and emerging concerns A pattern of escalating displacement across the West Bank continued during the month causing rapid deterioration of the human rights and protection context. Areas notably affected included East Jerusalem, refugee camps and Area C communities. Evictions, demolitions and land confiscations escalated forcibly displacing Palestinians and uprooting entire families particularly in the Old City and surrounding neighbourhoods. Israeli authorities using discriminatory laws including Israel’s Absentees’ Property Law and the 1970 Legal and Administrative Matters Law, forcibly evicted 16 Palestinian families in Batn-al Hawa area between 23 and 25 in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Silwan, adjacent to the Old City, to the benefit of Israeli settler organizations. Since 7 October 2023 and including the forced evictions in March, Israeli authorities have forcibly evicted a total of 28 families from the area, while dozens remain at risk of forced eviction. Also in Silwan, in the Al Bustan area about 1000 Palestinians including children and older persons are at imminent threat of demolitions and displacement linked to the so- called ‘King’s Garden’ settlement project, a tourist and leisure site for Israeli settlers. As a result of these demolitions, many Palestinians have been forcibly displaced. Legal actors report exhausting all possible legal avenues against many orders and call for urgent diplomacy and advocacy. The protection impact on families is severe and multi-faceted. Families experience repeated displacement, loss of housing and livelihoods and increasingly rely on negative coping strategies. The psychological toll is significant, particularly for children, with exposure to violence, forced evictions and uncertainty contributing to distress, trauma and long-term mental health risks. Displacement also disrupts access to education, services, and social support networks, while high rental costs and limited housing options in Jerusalem further constrain safe relocation. The Protection Cluster together with the Legal Task Forced issued an urgent call to Member States to intervene and prevent imminent forcible displacement - Call To Action to Member States: Imminent Forcible Displacement of Palestinian Families in Silwan | March 2026. In Parallel, the Protection Cluster together with CPAOR, GBVAOR, LTF, and Food Security Sector convened an urgent ad hoc meeting with partners to assess critical needs and align partner emergency response efforts. Protection partners continue to respond with a combination of legal aid, psychosocial support, child protection, and GBV services, as well as community-based interventions and advocacy efforts. Immediate assistance also includes in-kind support (food, hygiene items, and basic household items), alongside efforts to strengthen referrals and intersectoral coordination. _____________________________ The West Bank Protection Cluster’s Operational Updates summarize major developments, emerging protection risks and protection response work in the West Bank. It is produced to support response reporting, discussion, communication and advocacy. For further information about the updates, or to contribute relevant content, please contact OPT Protection Cluster [email protected] |