The Mateh Binyamin-region Jewish outpost of Ramat Migron, 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) north of Jerusalem, was demolished early Thursday morning by Israeli government forces in a selective move that ignored the Arab villas and multi-lane road that were built illegally in the same area.
The outpost is located not far from the government-approved, relocated site of the original community of Migron.
“The law does not interest [Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked], wrote Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman in a tweet depicting the destruction.
“Four villas and a multi-lane road built illegally by Arabs overlooked each caravan in the community, and the Civil Administration does nothing.
“Selective enforcement is a crime. And when it’s against Jews only, that’s a hate crime,” he added.
כוחות ההרס של @gantzbe @gidonsaar ו @Ayelet__Shaked
והלילה בבנימין, בגבעת רמת מגרון.
החוק לא מעניין אותם. על כל קראוון שכזה משקיפות ארבע וילות וכביש רב מסלולי שבנו ערבים בניגוד לחוק, והמנהל האזרחי לא עושה דבר.
אכיפה בררנית זה פשע. וכשזה נגד יהודים בלבד, זה כבר פשע שנאה. pic.twitter.com/sdUEluAGsJ
— שמחה רוטמן – Simcha Rothman (@rothmar) August 11, 2022
Dozens of Israeli Border Guard Police officers and Civil Administration officials converged on the community at dawn to demolish the homes of the three families living in the community, as well as their synagogue.
The forces broke into the homes at 4 am and forced the residents to leave, not even allowing them to get dressed and organize their belongings, resident Noa Yered told Hebrew-language media, calling the incident “sad and infuriating.”
Brief History of Migron
About 20 years ago then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered the demolition of the community after families in the nearby Palestinian Authority town of Burka and Deir Dibwan laid claim to the land, saying it was privately owned.
In 2011, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled in favor of a 2006 petition by Peace Now to dismantle Migron based on the claims of private Arab ownership of the land.
At the time, the Netanyahu government negotiated with residents of the community, who agreed to relocate to a government-approved site a few hundred meters south of their current location with 50 prefabricated homes, and their evacuation was completed on September 2, 2012.
At least 50 families now live in the new Migron, located near the community of Psagot, home to the renowned Psagot winery.
Within hours, a force of about 1,000 police officers destroyed the three permanent structures in Migron and arrested six youths who were among at least 200 Jewish protesters at the site.
The outpost is located less than two miles away from the legal community that relocated in September 2012, and which is still called Migron, home to some 300 residents, strategically located on a hilltop overlooking Highway 60, the main artery that runs from north to south, all the way to Be’er Sheva.
(The name Migron is mentioned in Book of Samuel I as the site where Saul, king of Israel, camped during his war against the Philistines.)
