Reuven Rivlin
Photo: George Ginsburg
Rivlin: Gov't must find solution for Migron
Knesset speaker visits illegal West Bank outpost, says relocating it 'makes no sense'
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin warned Thursday that if the government ministers fail to regulate the legal status of the West Bank outpost of Migron – "the Knesset will do it for them."
The impending eviction of Migron has prompted the Habayit Hayehudi Party to present the Knesset with a bill meant to regulate outposts' status: The bill states that an outpost would only be evacuated after a final court verdict on the land it is built on – should it be specifically disputed.
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Habayit Hayehudi has threatened to resign from the Coalition if Migron is razed. Migron is the largest illegal outpost in the West Bank, and is home to some 300 people.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has formed a special team to review the issue, and has suspended the bill.
Migron (Photo: Noam Moskowitz)
Rivlin, who visited Migron Thursday, said that " the government must take responsibility and find a legal way to resolve the situation, be it through a government decree or through legislation.
"Should those claiming to own the land be found right, than they could be compensated – paid even more than the land is worth. It won't be the first time. But relocating Migron at this point makes no sense.
"Even if we were to relocate it – the new location will also be perceived as illegal under international law," he added."
The petition to have Migron evicted was filed by Peace Now. Director Yariv Oppenheimer said: "What Rivlin said in Migron is a disgrace to the office of the Knesset Speaker and he must retract his statements.
"The residents of Migron knowingly took possession of private lands while flouting the State and the High Court, which ruled that they must be evicted.
"It is the Knesset speaker's job to stand by the law, even if the perpetrators are settlers. Rivlin must insist that illegal West Bank outposts be evicted," he said.
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