Migron
Photo: Lowshot.com
Palestinians drop Migron damages suit
Palestinians who sued state over building of West Bank outpost pull suit. Settlers claims plaintiffs failed to establish ownership of the land
Several Palestinians, whose lands became the site for the West Bank outpost of Migron, announced Tuesday that they intend to drop the damages suit they filed agaisnt the State.
The settlers claimed that the Palestinians failed to establish their ownership of the disputed area.
The case dates back to 2008, when Peace Now and Yesh Din filed a High Court petition against Migron, citing it was illegally built on private Palestinian land.
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The State agreed that the outpost must be razed, and the Palestinians, who claimed to be the land's owners, filed a NIS 1.5 million (roughly $400,000) damages suit against the State and the outposts' residents, saying that they suffered "great financial damage because they were unable to farm their lands."
Razed for nothing? Migron (Photo: AFP)
The State asked the court to deny the motion, saying that the plaintiffs were not the land's rightful owners. The settlers used the State's rebuttal to slam government policies and claim the decision to raze Migron was political.
The Palestinians had until Monday to present the court with proof of ownership over the land, but eventually decided to drop the suit.
"This means that the Arab plaintiffs – the same ones over whose claims the court ordered to raze Migron – have not evidence whatsoever that they are even connected to that land. This ratifies statements made by the residents of Migron, who claimed ownership of the land," a statement by the settlers said.
"Moreover, this means that the court ordered to raze the home of 60 families based on an Arab claim of ownership – a claim which did not stand up to the simplest court scrutiny."
MKs Zeev Elkin (Likud) and Arieh Eldad (National Union), who head the Land of Israel Knesset lobby, added: "The dropping of the Migron case is the best proof to why the legal team appointed to examine the issue of the outposts cannot be restricted."
Attorney Michael Sfard, for the Palestinian plaintiffs, said that "The owners of the Migron lands have decided to suspend their suit pending a later hearing in March, when they will see whether the State upholds the court order to evict the outpost.
"The documents proving their ownership of the land have been submitted to the court and the representatives of the settlers, making claims that there is something to hide ridiculous."
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