Police evacuate and demolish Ramat Migron outpost under cover of night

The West Bank outpost of Ramat Migron — a cluster of temporary structures around the better-known Migron outpost — was evacuated and demolished overnight Thursday.

Large forces of border and riot police arrived at the small outpost shortly after 2 AM, reported Ynet, removing the residents and destroying the temporary structures in the area. Two buildings in the Oz Zion outpost were also destroyed.

Three minors were arrested, but security forces reported that the evacuation proceeded smoothly, with no incidents of violence.

The High Court of Justice ruled Wednesday evening that residents of the nearby Migron outpost, the largest in the West Bank, must leave their homes within six days, and that all but six of the modular homes, or caravans, must be removed by September 11.

Migron was established in 2001 and questions over its legality first came before the court in 2006. At the time, the state, confident that the entire outpost was situated on privately-owned Palestinian land, assured the court that it would evacuate all residents “within several months.”

(Note: An early version of this article erroneously stated that Migron, rather than Ramat Migron, had been demolished.)