Debate over the Migron illegal outpost continues as settlers and attorneys tussle over the date set for evacuation • Residents want new permanent houses finished by evacuation date • "We don’t know for certain how long the planning will take to build a new neighborhood," Begin says, urging settlers to accept compromise.

Disagreements between settlers in Migron and the State Prosecutor’s Office may lead to the collapse of the Jan. 23 compromise agreement on the evacuation of Migron, the largest illegal Jewish outpost in Judea and Samaria. Minister Without Portfolio Ze´ev Binyamin (Benny) Begin (Likud), who mediated the compromise, said Monday that while the settlers had come a long way, not all of their wishes could be fulfilled.

The High Court of Justice ruled last summer that the outpost, home to some 50 families, had been built on privately owned Palestinian land, and ordered its evacuation by the end of March. The compromise determined that the residents of the outpost would be moved to a new neighborhood on state-owned land, located near the Psagot winery some two kilometers (about a mile) south of the current location.

In the event of the compromise’s collapse, the outpost will be evacuated in coming weeks in accordance with the court’s decision.

Begin, who was appointed by the government to handle the controversial evacuation, held a press conference Monday afternoon to elaborate on the differences of opinion between the state and the settlers. He was rumored to be planning to resign from the position of mediator.

“After months of talks, I hope that the residents of Migron will agree to accept the letter of this [compromise] so that we can put the finishing touches on this document tomorrow or the next day and submit it to the courts,” Begin said at the press conference. “I know that our friends in Migron have come a long way on this. They had something else in mind, different hopes and wishes. We can’t fulfill all of them. Some of them don’t reconcile with reality.”

“We don’t know for certain how long the planning will take to build a new neighborhood. The topography is not simple,” he added.

The current dispute centers on when Migron residents will be expected to leave their homes. Migron residents insist on staying in their houses until new permanent structures are completed in Psagot. The state attorneys want to stipulate that Migron residents relocate within two and a half years, regardless of whether or not the designated housing is ready.

The compromise stipulated relocating Migron residents to a nearby stretch of land owned by the state, thereby vacating the disputed land. Begin’s proposal included a promise of permanent homes in place of the current mobile homes. Once the permanent structures are completed, the families would relocate and turn the disputed land over to the Civil Administration.

Begin said Monday that since families were to be relocated it would be necessary to extend the deadline of the evacuation. “According to the estimates of the Civil Administration, the building will require 18 months. We will ask the Supreme Court for an extension to carry out its ruling on Nov. 30, 2015.”

“We all hope, the residents included, that the planning time will not last too long and that the families will be able to enter their permanent homes in a shorter time, but we are asking for the maximum,” he added.

Another bone of contention was what would happen to the evacuated structures. Migron residents insisted that they remain intact, while the court ordered their demolition. The compromise stipulated that the Civil Administration use its discretion as to the fate of the existing structures “in accordance with the law.”

The vague wording of the compromise left an opening for the Migron residents to prevent the demolition of structures within the outpost that are not situated on private land, or where private ownership of the land cannot be proven.

Migron residents now refuse to leave their homes until permanent structures are ready for them in Psagot and until they have received assurance that the structures in Migron will remain intact.