JERUSALEM - A normally quiet Galilee village turned into a battleground at dawn Tuesday as police officers clashed with rioters from the Druse community, police officials and community leaders said.
Among the injured were at least 16 police officers and nearly the same number of medics and residents. One resident was in serious condition after being shot in the stomach, according to emergency service officials. One policeman was hospitalized with serious head wounds, a police spokesman said.
The episode, in the northern Israeli village of Pekiin, was all the more unusual because it involved the Druse, a tiny and peaceful group of 130,000 people, less than 2 percent of Israel's total population of just over 7 million. The Druse practice a secret religion and are known for their loyalty to the states in which they reside, including Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Jordan. Israeli Druse are enlistedfor compulsory military service, and many join the police force.
The clashes began after a force of more than 100 police officers entered the village at 4a.m. with the intention of arresting five men suspected of having vandalized a cell-phone antenna installed in the neighboring community of New Pekiin, the police spokesman, Micky Rosenfeld, said. The villagers believe that radiation from the antenna causes cancer.
"The police came under a barrage of rocks, boulders and metal bars thrown by masked youths," Rosenfeld said. "Our officers were in a life-threatening situation, and it was necessary for one to open fire with live ammunition to get out of the situation." He added that the police arrested six rioters who were not connected with the antenna incident.
The police left the village about 7 a.m. and calm was restored, but one Israeli border police officer was left behind. The woman had been surrounded by rioters, but "luckily," said Rosenfeld, "one of the villagers, an ex-policeman, took her into his house for safety." He said many of the villagers had served in the police force.
A dialogue ensued between police representatives and the village sheik, and about two hours later, the officer was handed over unharmed, Rosenfeld said. In return, the six villagers arrested in the riots were released.
Front Section, Pages 5 on 10/31/2007