Migron
MigronFlash 90

Supreme Court President Asher Gronis ruled Friday that the planned demolition of homes in Migron will be postponed by at least 20 days.

Gronis gave parties to an appeal – including the IDF, the Defense Ministry, and the Civil Administration – additional time to respond to a suit brought by Arabs who claim ownership to some of the land on which the town of Migron is built. The town is located in the Binyamin region, north of Jerusalem.

The parties named will now have until August 19th to respond, and the expulsion of families from Migron will begin on August 21st at the earliest.

“Of course, those involved must continue to prepare for the eviction,” Gronis declared.

Residents of Migron expressed satisfaction with the decision.  “The Supreme Court’s decision this morning is clear evidence that the argument regarding the purchase of land in Migron cannot be ignored,” they said. They expressed hope that state attorneys will present their argument, which is that the land on which Migron sits has been legally purchased.

The request to postpone the expulsion was based in both residents’ reports of new land purchases and in the need to prepare alternate housing. Twenty-five housing units have been prepared for expellees from the town, but the state hopes to get another 22 ready before carrying out the demolition.