Migron residents petition High Court to halt August 1 evacuation
According to the request, portions of the outpost were recently bought from Palestinian landowners
Residents of Migron, a West Bank outpost slated for evacuation in a month’s time, have filed a petition with the High Court of Justice to defer the looming evacuation order, Army Radio reported on Tuesday.
According to the petition, portions of Migron were recently purchased from Palestinian landowners, effectively giving the Jewish residents the legal right to live in that part of the settlement. The petitioners are asking for a delay in the evacuation order so that the purchase documents, which were submitted to the court in a sealed envelope to protect the Palestinian sellers’ identity, can be evaluated.
After a years-long legal dispute initiated by Peace Now, Migron, the largest of the unapproved West Bank outposts at around 300 people, was determined by the High Court in March to have been built on private Palestinian land and the settlement was ordered to be evacuated by August 1. New housing for the evacuees is to be constructed in the nearby settlement of Givat Hayekev.
“According to our knowledge, there has not been an acquisition nor a change in the status of the land,” said Peace New director Yariv Oppenheimer. “This is a cunning attempt to postpone the evacuation.”