The Yesh Din organization has filed a lawsuit against the state on behalf of Arab residents of Shomron. The NIS 1.5 million lawsuit was filed in the Jerusalem Magistrate�s Court, explaining the Shomron community of Migron, located in the Benjamin Regional Council district near Psagot, was built on private Arab land which were expropriated by the state.
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The suit cites the states failure to prevent settlers from building on the private Arab land, in addition to the army�s failure to execute eviction orders and remove the community from its present location.
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According to attorney Michael Sefarad, the state in 1999 permitted entry onto the Arab land to �erect a cellular telephone antenna� which eventually led to the establishment of the new Jewish community. Since then he explains, the land owners have been denied access to their land.
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The lawsuit blames �political considerations� for the state�s failure to remove the settlers, citing the area is now home to over forty families and some 60 buildings.
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In the summer, the Yesha Settlement Council agreed to a plan to relocate Migron but it was stated that prior to removing the families and their homes, the government must first erect a new community that will be ready for their occupancy upon leaving the current community.
(Yechiel Spira � YWN Israel)
