State representatives informed the Court that in accordance with a year-old agreement with the Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea and Samaria – though, significantly, not with the residents themselves – 50 houses would be built for them in the town of Adam, three aerial kilometers to the south.
50 Now, 1,400 at a Date to be Named Later - if Ever
The Defense Ministry announced that it had approved in principle no fewer than 1,450 new housing units in the burgeoning town of Adam, but that at present, only 50 units would be built. Every additional group of units will require a special permit from the Defense Ministry.
Politicians on both sides of the spectrum see the move as designed to liquidate the Jewish settlement enterprise. MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) called on the residents not to accept the plan, saying, “The Prime Minister means to destroy Yesha, beginning with the dismantling of the smaller communities. There is no room here for compromises and concessions.” The residents have thus far been adamant in refusing to give up their homes.
MK Amir Peretz (Labor), a former Defense Minister, said that the idea of relocating Migron is a very important one: “It is very positive that little outposts are being included inside larger towns, in anticipation of a final status agreement with the Palestinian Authority,” he told Army Radio.
The timing of the announcement coincides with Defense Minister Ehud Barak's trip to Washington, where he will reportedly offer to freeze new Yesha construction for the next three months.
History
Migron was founded in March 2002 on a strategic hilltop overlooking the highway leading from Jerusalem to Beit El, Shilo and northward. It grew to 30 families within only a few months, and later to 43 – but its growth was abruptly cut short by a government order to ban new caravans and construction in the area. Within a year of its founding, it began appearing on lists of outposts to be destroyed by Ariel Sharon’s government, and has lived under the shadow of destruction every since.
The Biblical location Migron is mentioned in Samuel I 14,2 and Isaiah 10, 28.
Cabinet Minister Moshe Yaalon, a former IDF Chief of Staff and a strong force behind Migron's establishment, said at the time that it was strategically important for Israel to grab that spot - a high hilltop overlooking a highway leading to Psagot, Beit El, Kokhav Yaakov, Michmash, Ofrah, and more.
In October 2003, Migron and other outposts were granted a form of government recognition. Ron Shechner, Settlement Affairs Advisor to then-Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz , explained, "This is a recognition of the fact that people who live in these places are entitled to basic services such as security and defense, lighting, children's nurseries, and the like. The fundamental question of the outposts' legality must still be decided by the government."
Just two months later, Defense Minister Mofaz gave the order to uproot and dismantle Migron. Within two weeks, though, when the government saw it would have to deal with thousands of people planning to come and defend the site, and when strong opposition arose within the Likud, Migron was taken off the immediate chopping-block list. The long-term threat was never removed, however.
Peace Now Seeks Out Arab Claimants
Sometime afterwards, Peace Now sought out Arabs who claimed to own some of the land on which Migron was built, and a court suit demanding its destruction was filed. Residents of Migron emphasize that though some of the land on which Migron was founded is officially listed as Arab-owned, these Arabs had never come forward to make their claim, nor had they ever cultivated these lands - until Peace Now sought them out and encouraged them to do so.
Dozens of outposts have been established throughout Judea and Samaria before and since the Oslo Accords, and many of them have developed into full-fledged communities, including synagogues and educational facilities. The only thing rendering them illegal and unauthorized, Yesha leaders say, is the fact that Defense Minister Barak refuses to sign the final approval. Many towns throughout Israel were established in a similar manner: first facts on the ground, then official approval.