BICOM

Less than a week after negotiations reached an impasse, Minister Benny Begin announced that the Israeli government and the residents of the Migron outpost have reached an agreement on the relocation of the outpost residences. The issue legal ownership of the settlement’s land is under dispute, with both the state and the courts determining that Migron has been built on private Palestinian land.

“We have a format that has been agreed upon between the government and the people and residents of Migron,” Begin announced yesterday. “In principle, it is the same agreement I presented to reporters on Monday,” Begin added.

Yet the settlers have stated that they have not yet signed the draft agreement. “From our perspective there is no agreement. We’re still waiting for Minister Begin’s response to the draft,” they said in a statement.

The Justice Ministry stated that “At this stage discussions are being held with the Migron outpost residents, and we have no intention to discuss their contents.”

Earlier this month, it was reported that the sides reached a compromise whereby the outpost will be moved to public land some 2 kilometers from its current location. The Civil Administration was to decide what to do with Migron’s permanent structures.