High Court orders Migron outpost evacuated within 6 days

Court rejects Migron residents' petition to delay eviction, demolition of homes; decision delays demolition of homes in "block 10" until purchase claims are examined; residents refuse to say whether they'll resist evacuation.

By TOVAH LAZAROFF, JPOST.COM STAFF
Migron outpost 370 (photo credit: Reuters)
Migron outpost 370
(photo credit: Reuters)
The High Court of Justice Wednesday evening ordered all 50 families in the West Bank outpost of Migron to evacuate their homes no later than Tuesday.
It added that all the buildings - except for those in an area of the outpost known as "lot 10," which settlers claim to have legally purchased - must be taken down no later than Sept. 11.
The High Court of Justice had ordered the outpost’s demolition already last summer because it was built without permits on land classified by the state as belonging to private Palestinians.
Last month, Migron residents petitioned the High Court of Justice to allow 17 of the families to remain, claiming that they had purchased the land on which their homes stand from the Palestinian owners.
Earlier this week, the families also petitioned the court to delay the evacuation until such a time as their new modular housing site, located two kilometers away near the Psagot winery, was fully completed.
On Wednesday, however, the HJC rejected the petition by the 17 families. It also set a date, prior to the full completion of the site.
According to the World Zionist Organization the homes are ready, but work is still being done on the public buildings and security features such as guardrails. The Binyamin Regional Council, under whose auspices Migron and the new site is located, however, has argued that the site won’t be completed for another month.
Migron residents held a press conference Wednesday night to react to the decision, slamming the Supreme Court over its decision and condemning Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for going along with the court. They also refused to say whether or not they would resist the evacuation.
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein appealed to the residents of Migron for a peaceful evacuation. "Relevant actors should avoid inflaming the situation and must act responsibly. They must respect the rule of law and evacuate their homes peacefully," Weinstein said.
MK Danny Danon (Likud) called for an emergency ministerial meeting on the settlement issue following the court decision. "The Likud government must stop ignoring our citizens that reside in Judea and Samaria," Danon said. "The Supreme Court would not have ordered the evacuation of the homes (in Migron) if they had belonged to Arabs or Sudanese."

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MKs Ze'ev Elkin (Likud) and Ariye Eldad (Habayit Hayehudi) said the government must adopt the findings of the Edmond Levy Report on West Bank settlements with the Ministerial Committee on Settlements. "The [Supreme Court] judgement on Migron is the result of a coup carried out by the prosecution against the Ministerial Committee on Settlements," they said.
The Levy Report found that Israeli settlement in the West Bank is legal under international law and recommended that the government avoid demolishing illegal outposts.