Illegal Settlement Warned: Time’s Up

The state is giving Migron residents their last chance to move the West Bank outpost to a new site, Minister Benny Begin said yesterday.

Begin, who represents the government in talks with the residents, said at a press conference that Migron will be evacuated and dismantled by March 31 if the settlers don’t accept the latest agreement aimed at avoiding a violent confrontation and giving the residents another place to live.

Migron residents were meeting late last night to decide whether to accept the draft agreement with the state, under which they would leave the illegal outpost, which is built on land registered to Palestinian owners, and rebuild it on nearby state land.

By order of the High Court of Justice, Migron, which is home to some 50 families, is to be evacuated and dismantled by March 31. The High Court must approve the deal, under which the evacuation of the current site would be postponed, before it can be implemented.

But the agreement, which was reached after 13 drafts, has yet to be signed because residents oppose a clause calling for the demolition of all structures on the outpost. At a meeting several Migron residents held Sunday night with Rabbi Zvi Tau, their spiritual mentor, Tau told them to object to any deal that would see the buildings demolished.

For more, go to Haaretz.com