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Settlers rebuild Migron (archives)
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PM to Migron residents: Evacuate willingly

Netanyahu urges residents of illegal West Bank outpost to accept compromise offer and move to new neighborhood on State-owned land. Settlers: He's learned nothing from Gaza pullout

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday urged residents of the illegal West Bank outpost Migron to accept a compromise offer and evacuate their homes willingly.

 

The High Court of Justice ordered the State to clear the outpost by the end of March.

 

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"This is a reasonable offer. It doesn’t solve all the problems, but it can solve the Migron issue," said Netanyahu.

 

During the weekly cabinet meeting, the PM said that according to the compromise offer, the State will build new homes for Migron's residents on State-owned land nearby, while the evacuated land will be turned over to the Civil Administration in Judea and Samaria.

 

A week ago a number of Likud ministers, including Dan Meridor, Benny Begin and Michael Eitan criticized the so-called "Migron bill," which would prevent the demolition of outposts.

 

The bill determines that if a land owner in Judea and Samaria does not take legal action within four years of the time a neighborhood is built on his land, the structures will not be torn down. Instead – he will receive other forms of compensation.

 


אחד המבנים שפונו בעבר במגרון (צילום: נועם מושקוביץ)

Migron structure after past razing (Archive photo: Noam Moskowitz)

 

In response to Netanyahu's remarks, the various settler committees issued a statement saying the PM "has apparently learned nothing since the disengagement (from Gaza). He refuses to put the bill - which would solve the Migron issue once and for all - up for a vote in the Ministerial Committee for Legislative Affairs. He threatens to destroy the residents' homes and expel them in the middle of the night.

 

"Mr. Netanyahu must understand that relocating Migron would mean that he will be relocated from his (position). The nationalist public won’t allow another Amona," the statement read.

 

Peace Now Director Yariv Oppenheimer called Netanyahu's offer a "cynical spin that is aimed at thwarting the implementation of the court's decision and delaying the outpost's evacuation by several years.

 

"If private ownership of the land is not just cause for evacuation, then the prime minister is welcome to invite the outpost resident's to live on his property in Caesarea until another neighborhood is built for them," he said. 

 

Yesha Council Chairman Danny Dayan added: "We share the desire to settle the Migron issue in a peaceful manner. Time is of the essence and I therefore call on the prime minister to immediately convene all the relevant parties for intense talks until a solution is reached."

 

Dayan stressed the importance of the immediate need for a solution. "The dialogue must be held while taking into account the sides' limitations and constraints. The parties must provide each other with sufficient leeway instead of recriminations and demands. I demand nothing of the government I don't also demand of ourselves. I am confident that honest and ongoing dialogue will result in a solution that will both maintain the law and bolster the settlement."

 

Yair Altman contributed to the report

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 01.22.12, 16:08
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