A/HRC/10/8/Add.2 page 20 66. Some of her Christian interlocutors in the Occupied Palestinian Territory expressed that they were living between two fires. They emphasized that they were particularly vulnerable as a “minority within a minority”, suffering both from the effects of occupation and from significant pressure within the Palestinian population. Allegedly, Christians have been harassed or intimidated by militants and the local judiciary has failed to adjudicate seizures of Christians’ property by criminal gangs. There have been several cases of attacks on Christian churches and violence against priests or individuals in Gaza and the West Bank. 67. The Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that both General Assembly resolution 61/161 and Human Rights Council resolution 6/37 urges States to take “all necessary and appropriate action, in conformity with international standards of human rights, to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance based on religion or belief, as well as incitement to hostility and violence, with particular regard to religious minorities”. V. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusions 68. The State of Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory are home to a rich diversity of religions or beliefs and host religious sites revered by believers from all over the world. Yet, this very diversity, which should have been a blessing, tragically has polarized people on the lines of religion. The conflict has an adverse impact on the right of individuals and communities to worship freely and to attend religious services at their respective holy places. Liberty of movement, including access to places of worship, is restricted in particular for Palestinian Muslims and Christians through the existing system of permits, visas, checkpoints and the Barrier. While the Government of Israel informed the Special Rapporteur that these restrictions are necessary for security reasons, she would like to emphasize that any measure taken to combat terrorism must comply with the State’s obligations under international law. Taking into account the individuals’ freedom of religion or belief and liberty of movement as well as the principles of non-discrimination and international humanitarian law, the intrusive restrictions seem to be disproportionate to their aim as well as discriminatory and arbitrary in their application. 69. The Special Rapporteur’s interlocutors from religious minorities living in Israel have by and large acknowledged that there is no religious persecution by the State. Within the Israeli democracy, she would like to emphasize the important role that the Supreme Court has played in the past and can continue to play for safeguarding freedom of religion or belief. However, groups within the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths have experienced different forms of discrimination in the State of Israel, for example with regard to the preservation of religious sites or allocation of public funding. 70. With regard to the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, the Special Rapporteur is concerned about reports of the rising level of religious intolerance and the vulnerability of religious minorities, including some small Christian communities, against the background of a deficient rule of law.