Migron
MigronIsrael news photo: Flash 90

The government has reneged on conditions it previously agreed to in an agreement with the residents of Migron, in the Binyamin region. Migron is slated for demolition, but an agreement between its residents and the state stipulated that the residents would move to another location not far away, while some of the buildings at the original site would remain standing.

Arutz Sheva has learned that the state now says there will be no civilian presence at the present site of Migron until the claims of ownership of the land are all settled. In addition, it insists that all buildings at the site be razed and says that only if it turns out that the land has no private owner can they be rebuilt.

The Civil Administration had also said that the proposed new site is unsuitable. Originally, the residents were offered a new suburb of the more distant Binyamin community of Adam, but that was rejected and the new site was chosen for being much closer to the present site of Migron.

According to the compromise reached earlier this month, land upon which Migron currently resides would be handed over to the IDF Civil Administration, which will "consider positively" the continued use of structures that were built on plots that were owned by Arabs who left the Land of Israel long ago and can no longer claim them. The compromise was based on a statement by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Minister Benny Begin informed the residents of Migron of the new state position and demanded that they respond to the state's conditions by Monday morning.

The residents are trying to exert pressure on the Prime Minister and Minister Begin through Likud faction members.