Migron deal on verge of collaps
THE prospect of a resolution to one of the longest-running West Bank settlement sagas receded this week, after a compromise between the government and the residents of Migron seemed to fall through.
According to a 2005 Israeli government report, homes in Migron – which was established six years earlier without the necessary state clearance – are built on private Palestinian land. Residents deny this but, their objections not withstanding, the Supreme Court has ruled that the 48-family outpost must be evacuated in the next month. Six weeks ago, Migron residents reportedly reached an agreement with the government, according to which they would be relocated to a plot a mile away that Israel defines as “state-owned” land. But on Monday, they raised objections.
Benny Begin, the government minister dealing with the issue, outlined his plans, saying that he would start building the new community for the settlers, and extend the deadline for evacuation of Migron to November 30, 2015. But the settlers condemned the proposition, saying that they want guarantees that they can stay until the new homes are ready.
Likud’s Danny Danon, the most vocal advocate for Migron residents in the Knesset, told The AJN that they had learnt lessons from the Gaza disengagement, after which many evacuees spent years in mobile homes. “We saw that it takes more time to build houses than people think, and there’s no reason that they [Migron residents] should agree to relocate before the houses are ready,” he said.
The other point of conflict is that the settlers are demanding that homes at Migron are left intact, in case they manage in future to prove their claim that the land is theirs. The government plans to obey the Supreme Court ruling, and demolish them. Begin dismissed these demands are unrealistic. “They had something else in mind, different hopes and wishes,” he said. “We can’t fulfil all of them. Some of them don’t reconcile with reality.”
However, Migron residents say they still hope to talk the government round. “We are still trying to reach a compromise we can accept,” community spokesman Itay Hamo told The AJN.
NATHAN JEFFAY
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