The majority of the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea area is off limits to Palestinian residential or community use and development. Restrictions on access to transportation routes, to agricultural land and to water resources have hampered the Palestinian agricultural sector. Thousands of Palestinians in the area are at risk of forced displacement. Israel, as an occupying power, has an obligation to protect the civilian population. The demolition of civilian Palestinian homes, as well as the transfer of Israeli settlers into the occupied territory, are strictly prohibited and must be brought to a halt.