Peace Now, the radical left-wing group dedicated to ending Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria, has made Migron one of its prime targets in recent years. Though some of the land on which Migron was founded is officially listed as privately owned by Arabs, said Arabs had never come forward to make their claim, nor had they ever cultivated or laid any claim to it - until Peace Now sought them out and encouraged them to do so.
Migron is located on a strategically important hill crest, overlooking the highway leading to Beit El, Ofrah, Shilo and the northern Shomron. It is located between Kokhav Yaakov and Michmash, about a 15-minute drive north of Jerusalem.
Founded in March 2002, Migron (mentioned in Samuel I 14,2 and Isaiah 10, 28) grew quickly, reaching 42 families after only a year and a half - at which point the government abruptly clamped down on further growth. Close to 100 children now live there. The synagogue is housed in a permanent structure, while the residents live in caravans (mobile homes without wheels). Six government ministries, the Civil Administration, the Electric Company, Mekorot Water Company and other official bodies have all taken part in establishing infrastructures for the community.
Three years ago, the Ariel Sharon government threatened to uproot Migron, but finally decided, out of various political considerations, to remove it from the chopping block. Peace Now said at the time that it would not accept such a move.
In response to a Peace Now petition against Migron, the government responded with a brief that it finally submitted to the High Court of Justice yesterday (Sunday).
The brief was described by one of the Migron residents as a "total disappointment." It concludes that "there is no legal possibility of accepting [Migron's] existence in the long term," and that the "only questions on the agenda are the timing of the outpost's evacuation and whether it will be evacuated voluntarily by the residents, and its buildings demolished by [the residents] themselves, or whether it will be necessary to employ the authorities for this purpose."
Haaretz reported that the government's response is that Defense Minister Amir Peretz has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to hold talks with Yesha leaders reagrding an agreement on the voluntary evacuation of all the illegal outposts "in the near future." If these talks bear no fruit, the brief said, Peretz plans to order Migron evacuated in about half a year. To this end, the government asks the court to postpone the next hearing on the case for 4-5 months.
Peretz has taken a similar stand before. Just two months ago, he told the Knesset that if no voluntary-evacuation agreement was reached within two weeks, the IDF would begin forcibly evacuating outposts in early November. The fact that they have now been given another several months does not comfort the residents, however.
A member of Migron's secretariat told Arutz-7, "We are at the stage of studying the legal brief. We hope that it will not be necessary to have a public struggle, but I don't want to be naive." In the background is the case of Amona - a government-ordered destruction of nine uninhabited houses overlooking Ofrah (just five miles due north of Migron) almost a year ago, in which hundreds of people were injured in clashes between police and Yesha-supporters.
In related news, the Land of Israel Northern Task Force is planning a Chanukah tour to "Outpost Land." The group will visit Hilltop 725, Scali Farm, Mitzpeh Yitzhar, Mitzpeh Ronen and more this Thursday, the 6th day of Chanukah. To sign up, call 052-4627118.
Migron is located on a strategically important hill crest, overlooking the highway leading to Beit El, Ofrah, Shilo and the northern Shomron. It is located between Kokhav Yaakov and Michmash, about a 15-minute drive north of Jerusalem.
Founded in March 2002, Migron (mentioned in Samuel I 14,2 and Isaiah 10, 28) grew quickly, reaching 42 families after only a year and a half - at which point the government abruptly clamped down on further growth. Close to 100 children now live there. The synagogue is housed in a permanent structure, while the residents live in caravans (mobile homes without wheels). Six government ministries, the Civil Administration, the Electric Company, Mekorot Water Company and other official bodies have all taken part in establishing infrastructures for the community.
Three years ago, the Ariel Sharon government threatened to uproot Migron, but finally decided, out of various political considerations, to remove it from the chopping block. Peace Now said at the time that it would not accept such a move.
In response to a Peace Now petition against Migron, the government responded with a brief that it finally submitted to the High Court of Justice yesterday (Sunday).
The brief was described by one of the Migron residents as a "total disappointment." It concludes that "there is no legal possibility of accepting [Migron's] existence in the long term," and that the "only questions on the agenda are the timing of the outpost's evacuation and whether it will be evacuated voluntarily by the residents, and its buildings demolished by [the residents] themselves, or whether it will be necessary to employ the authorities for this purpose."
Haaretz reported that the government's response is that Defense Minister Amir Peretz has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to hold talks with Yesha leaders reagrding an agreement on the voluntary evacuation of all the illegal outposts "in the near future." If these talks bear no fruit, the brief said, Peretz plans to order Migron evacuated in about half a year. To this end, the government asks the court to postpone the next hearing on the case for 4-5 months.
Peretz has taken a similar stand before. Just two months ago, he told the Knesset that if no voluntary-evacuation agreement was reached within two weeks, the IDF would begin forcibly evacuating outposts in early November. The fact that they have now been given another several months does not comfort the residents, however.
A member of Migron's secretariat told Arutz-7, "We are at the stage of studying the legal brief. We hope that it will not be necessary to have a public struggle, but I don't want to be naive." In the background is the case of Amona - a government-ordered destruction of nine uninhabited houses overlooking Ofrah (just five miles due north of Migron) almost a year ago, in which hundreds of people were injured in clashes between police and Yesha-supporters.
In related news, the Land of Israel Northern Task Force is planning a Chanukah tour to "Outpost Land." The group will visit Hilltop 725, Scali Farm, Mitzpeh Yitzhar, Mitzpeh Ronen and more this Thursday, the 6th day of Chanukah. To sign up, call 052-4627118.