Druze leaders from the majority-Druze Galilee village of Peki’in said Thursday that they would welcome most Jewish families that have fled to return to the city.  In a meeting arranged by the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization, the leaders said that most Jewish residents who fled recent Druze violence should return, but that “we will not agree to again take in” two Jewish families seen as “provocateurs.” 

Several heads of nearby Jewish towns attended the meeting as well.  The Jewish speakers attributed the recent riots, during which several police officers were violently attacked and Jewish property was destroyed, to anti-Druze discrimination and a lack of employment opportunities.