A/63/161 protection activities in Angola and that it requested OHCHR to cease all activities and close its representation in the country by 31 May 2008. 2. Visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory 13. The Special Rapporteur carried out a mission to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 20 to 27 January 2008. While recalling that the land she visited was blessed with a rich diversity and important sites holy to many religions, the Special Rapporteur regretted that this very diversity had polarized people along religious lines; indeed, the conflict was having an adverse impact on the right of individuals and communities to worship freely and to attend religious services at their respective holy places. Many Muslims and Christians were impeded from worshipping at some of their most holy places in the world because of an elaborate system of permits, visas and checkpoints and by the barrier. The Government of Israel informed the Special Rapporteur that those restrictions were necessary for security reasons. She would nevertheless like to emphasize that any measure taken to combat terrorism must comply with the State’s obligations under international law, including freedom of religion or belief, and that they should be non-discriminatory and proportionate to their aim. 14. While acknowledging that members of religious minorities in Israel asserted that there was no religious persecution by the State, the Special Rapporteur noted that groups within the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths had experienced different forms of discrimination, such as the neglect of Christian and Muslim holy sites or the unfair allocation of subsidies at the expense of religious minorities and groups. 15. Minority communities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including some small Christian groups, expressed their fear of a rising level of religious intolerance. Women seemed to bear the brunt of religious zeal. The Special Rapporteur was informed about cases of honour killings carried out with impunity in the Occupied Palestinian Territory in the name of religion, and some women in Gaza reportedly recently felt coerced into covering their heads not out of religious conviction but out of fear. 16. A major challenge that needs to be addressed immediately in order to avoid deterioration of the situation is to effectively prohibit and sanction incitement to religious hatred. Any violence committed in the name of religion should be denounced, investigated and sanctioned. It is particularly worrying when children are being incited to express hatred towards those with a different religious affiliation. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur recommended that all parties to a possible peace agreement bind themselves legally to protect the rights of religious minorities and include guarantees for equality and non-discrimination based on religion as well as for the preservation of and peaceful access to holy sites. 3. Visit to India 17. The Special Rapporteur visited India from 3 to 20 March 2008 as a follow-up to her predecessor’s mission (see E/CN.4/1997/91/Add.1). She commended the central Government for its comprehensive policy pertaining to minorities, including religious ones, and she welcomed the recent reports drafted by the committees headed by Justice Rajender Sachar and Justice Renganath Misra. She also commended the National Commission for Minorities for taking prompt action and issuing independent reports on incidents of communal violence, with concrete 08-43442 7