No one was surprised by the High Court of Justice ruling ordering all residents of the settlement outpost of Migron to be out by next Tuesday - except, of course, for the settlers themselves. Television news shows reported that "shock" reigned in the illegal outpost last night. Its residents claimed the court had "raped" them.

Once again, the robbed Cossacks are crying foul, a moment before they relocate to the shiny new settlement that the state built for them nearby at a cost of NIS 30 million.

After having driven the government and its representatives crazy, after having vilified ministers Benny Begin and Moshe Ya'alon, who moved heaven and earth for them, after having cursed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is building like a maniac in the territories, as well as the staff of the World Zionist Organization's settlement division, who worked night and day to build the new neighborhood of Givat Hayekev, they are complaining of rape.

The Migron residents went too far. Through their brazen, thuggish conduct, they succeeded in turning a major achievement into a searing failure. Instead of quietly vacating the outpost that was built in sin, in gross violation of the law, they went to the High Court for a battle they had no chance of winning.

And before that, they were beaten in the political arena: The Likud members whom they threatened and denounced did not mobilize to aid them; they didn't even come to visit and offer encouragement as they did for the evicted settlers of Beit El's Ulpana neighborhood. The strongest political lobby in the country failed.

"They weren't gifted with the wisdom to cut their losses or to celebrate their victories," a senior Likud official who cannot be suspected of leftist tendencies said this week. "They always want more. They are always owed change."

Even Danny Dayan, chairman of the Yesha Council of settlements, sounded on Wednesday as if he'd had it with that bunch.

"It's true: Because of our behavior, this is perceived as a failure rather than an achievement, and that's a pity," he said. "The main battle has already been decided in favor of the settlement movement. Therefore, it's possible to make localized compromises and we need to work with the government, not against it. We need to help the government against the prosecution, not take on both the government and the prosecution. Unfortunately, not everyone understands this, just as not everyone understands that [the settlers'] power among Likud members isn't always the answer to everything. It isn't."