The Supreme Court considered on Thursday a petition by the far left Peace Now group, to immediately evict the residents of Migron from their homes and reject the compromised agreement worked out with residents.
The current site of Migron is supposed to be evacuated by the end of this month, according to a previous Supreme Court decision, but in recent weeks the government worked out an agreement with residents, whereby they would move their homes to state-controlled lands. The agreement stipulates that the residents will move into their new homes by November 30, 2015.
The State has already asked the Supreme Court to postpone the demolition of Migron until 2015.
The Supreme Court’s decision to demolish Migron came after Palestinian Authority Arabs who claimed, with the help of Peace Now, that Migron was built on private land. The Arabs, however, have failed to prove that claim.
The hearing on Thursday was attended by representatives of the prosecution, representatives of the residents of Migron, Minister Benny Begin who brokered the compromise agreement, the Arab petitioners and representatives of Peace Now. Also present was MK Ahmed Tibi, who came to support the petitioners and the members of Peace Now.
During the hearing, Judges Salim Jubran and Miriam Naor, who were also part of the team of judges which had ruled that Migron be demolished, sharply criticized the compromise agreement.
“Why you are here at the eleventh hour?” asked Justice Naor, while Justice Jubran claimed that postponing the court’s original decision for so long will make it null and void.
Minister Begin told the Court, “There were painful discussions until this point was reached. I take responsibility for the outcome. My starting point was the assumption that Migron will be evacuated, but I wanted it to be done using peaceful means.”
Yesha Council chairman Danny Dayan, who attended the hearing as well, expressed optimism that the judges will agree to the compromise.
“I believe that ultimately the judges will approve the agreement that was brought before them,” Dayan told Arutz Sheva. “I think it balances all the necessary values that the court usually takes into consideration.”
The judges will give their decision at a later date.