Residents of illegal outpost agree on relocation to nearby hill

Residents of the illegal Migron outpost, located 14 kilometers north of Jerusalem in the West Bank, reached a compromise Monday with representatives of the Prime Minister’s Office regarding their relocation to a nearby hill. The settlers, who were supposed to evacuate the outpost by April according to a High Court of Justice ruling, now have two years to complete the transition.

The compromise is expected to ensure a peaceful relocation of all residents to a parcel of government-owned land approximately 2 kilometers away, according to the parameters of the agreement. All sides were eager to prevent violent clashes in the anticipated evacuation of the settlement late next month.

Not everyone is happy with the deal, however. The Civil Administration will likely oppose Monday’s compromise due to logistical and monetary considerations. Also, left-wing activists such as Peace Now chief Yariv Oppenheimer — who petitioned the High Court to dismantle the outpost — view the deal as an affront, in direct violation of the Court’s timeline.

Newly-elected head of the left-wing Meretz party Zehava Gal-On said the government was making a joke of the rule of law, calling the compromise  “a rotten deal.”

Right-wing activists were also critical of Monday’s deal, viewing it as an admission of surrender to Peace Now.

Migron was founded without authorization in 2001. In 2005, the Sasson Report declared that the outpost was established on privately owned Palestinian land, in violation of both international and Israeli law. In September 2011, the High Court ordered Migron to be dismantled by April 2012.

The outpost is home to approximately 300 people. According to Monday’s deal, existing structures in Migron will not be razed until all the residents have been relocated.

Asher Zeiger contributed to this report.