Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Sunday suggested a “compromise” for the community of Migron in Samaria, under the death knell by the High Court, but some nationalists and the left-wing Peace Now rejected it. The Council of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria (Yesha) said all sides should engage in direct talks before taking any action.

The High Court has ordered that the 11-year-old community of more than 40 families must be demolished after it ruled their homes were not built on state land, despite the failure of Peace Now and Arabs to prove ownership of the land.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has rejected Knesset proposals for legislation to legalize Migron and other communities in Judea and Samaria, told the Cabinet Sunday that it wants to honor the court order and win accceptance from Migron residents by proposing to rebuild Migron residents’ homes next to the present site, which would be evacuated and handed over to the Judea and Samaria Civil Administration.   

“This is a good proposal.  It does not solve all of the problems, but it does resolve the problem of Migron,” according to the Prime Minister. He said that if the idea is acceptable to all sides, the government will ask the High Court to delay the demolition order until the new homes are completed.

Nationalist leaders of the Komemiyut organization and the Samaria Residents Committee thoroughly rejected the proposal. “It appears Netanyahu has not learned anything since the expulsion of Jews in Gaza and four northern Samaria communities in 2005,” they said. “In an un-democratic act, the Prime Minister has refused to bring to a vote among Cabinet ministers a bill that would solve the problem of Migron once and for all.”

Peace Now, which initiated the appeal to the court to demolish Migron, castigated Prime Minister Netanyahu for not sticking to the ruling of the High Court. Yair Oppenheimer, director of the Israeli-based group, called the compromise proposal a “victory” for nationalists.

Yesha chairman Danny Dayon did not accept or reject the proposal. “We are partners in the desire to reach a solution peacefully,” he said. “Migron must not be demolished. I call on the Prime Minister to begin immediate and direct talks with all parties involved to reach an agreement.”