Families Resettle in Migron Area 14 Years After Evacuation

Fourteen years after the Israeli settlement of Migron was evacuated and its homes demolished, several Israeli families have returned to the area, establishing a new agricultural outpost in Upper Migron. The new location, established about a year ago by the Binyamin Regional Council through its development company, was officially revealed on Thursday after being connected to the electricity grid. The outpost, named "Migron Farm," is situated hundreds of meters from the original settlement site, near Route 60 between Shiloh and Shvut Rachel.

The families have been living at the site for approximately a year without electricity, tending to the agricultural activities which the council states are intended to preserve the land and strengthen Israeli presence in the region. The land was acquired and developed by the Binyamin Development Company, led by CEO Eldad Ben Zmira.

Migron was evacuated in 2012 following a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the complete dismantling of the settlement, rejecting a compromise proposed by the government. The residents were relocated to a new settlement established for them on the slopes of the Migron ridge, near the Machmas checkpoint.

"Today we are closing a historical circle," said Israel Gantz, head of the Binyamin Regional Council and chairman of the Yesha Council. "In a place where homes were destroyed and families were uprooted, there is again settlement, families, and life. For a year they lived here without electricity and guarded the legally purchased land, and today light returns to Migron." Gantz added that the council, in cooperation with the Israeli government, is rectifying past wrongs and promoting significant development and settlement, pledging to continue strengthening settlements in the Binyamin region.