Alternative homes for families from the largest West Bank outpost to be readied by mid-July

The government on Sunday unanimously approved the relocation of residents of Migron, the West Bank’s largest outpost, to the nearby Givat Hayekev.

The new site is intended to be ready for population by July 15, two weeks prior to a court-imposed deadline for Migron’s evacuation on August 1.

Last month the High Court of Justice rejected part of a deal brokered by Minister Benny Begin (Likud), in which the government and settlers agreed to defer the outpost’s demolition to 2015. The court determined that the settlement was built on private Palestinian land, and required that the several dozen families living there vacate their homes by August 1.

The new location is about one mile from Migron, itself some nine miles from Jerusalem.

Palestinian Authority official Ghassan Khatib expressed mistrust of the settlement evacuation plans. “The Israeli behavior vis-a-vis this and other outposts is an example that illustrates Israel’s intention to consolidate the occupation, rather than end it,” said Khatib. (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 04/29/12)