A/HRC/10/8/Add.2 page 10 28. Furthermore, on several occasions age restrictions have been imposed by the Government of Israel on the access to al-Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount in Jerusalem. During Ramadan in 2007, for example, sometimes only Palestinians over the age of 45 were allowed entrance and at other times only Jerusalem identity cardholders or only residents of the old city over the age of 50 were permitted. On some Fridays, children were allowed to cross Israeli checkpoints with older relatives but on the last Friday of Ramadan in 2007 even young children were reportedly turned back. On 21 September 2007, no access was permitted for Palestinians from the West Bank since all checkpoints were closed for the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur.8 29. The Special Rapporteur’s predecessor had also transmitted a communication on 10 June 2004 to the Government of Israel concerning allegations that the renewal of visas for Christian clergy was obstructed by Israeli authorities (E/CN.4/2005/61/Add.1, para. 148). Visas for priests, religious men and women as well as seminarians were allegedly denied or were renewed with severe limitations, including with regard to their validity and the number of permitted entries. The new practice of issuing only single entry visas reportedly hindered the clergy’s ability to carry out their pastoral ministry in an effective way. The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem for example includes Palestine, Israel and Jordan and it is feared that these different areas will be disconnected if Jordanian clergy are not allowed to move between Jordan and Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Similarly, the dioceses of several other Christian communities also cover Cyprus, Jordan, Lebanon or Syria. Since a majority of clergy and seminarians is Jordanian, many parishes might ultimately be left without priests and seminaries might be closed. Furthermore, religiously motivated visits for believers living abroad, including pilgrimages to the religious sites in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, are adversely affected by the Barrier which has created a concrete separation between these cities. 30. The Government of Israel informed the Special Rapporteur that all of these restrictions to movement are necessary for security reasons. One of her official interlocutors in Israel stated, from a military perspective, that “before you can guarantee quality of life you have to save lives”. The Special Rapporteur would like to reiterate that the State’s obligation to protect and promote human rights, including every human being’s inherent right to life, requires it to take effective measures to combat terrorism. Several special procedures mandate-holders have publicly shared in the unequivocal condemnation of terrorism but have at the same time voiced their profound concern at the multiplication of policies, legislation and practices increasingly being adopted by many countries in the name of the fight against terrorism which affect negatively the enjoyment of virtually all human rights.9 The Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that States must ensure that any measure taken to combat terrorism complies with their obligations under international law, in particular human rights and humanitarian law as detailed further below. 8 OCHA, The Humanitarian Monitor No. 17, September 2007, p. 11 (www.ochaopt.org/documents/HM_Sep07.pdf). 9 See for example the joint statement by participants of the tenth annual meeting of special procedures mandate-holders in June 2003 (E/CN.4/2004/4, annex I).